No pressure Jonah Tong, but you could make or break the NY Mets season

Jonah Tong would need more to go wrong for other players than right for him this spring to make his way onto the New York Mets Opening Day roster. Two starts in Triple-A last year and a mostly unsatisfying stint in the majors has him projected to open the year in the minor leagues. It’s not an insult to his abilities. He just needs more time to improve in some areas.

Unlikely to see major league action for at least a few months, even with injuries piling up, Tong’s presence in 2026 has a chance to make or break the Mets season.

Jonah Tong is the midseason solution the Mets will undoubtedly need in some form

We were in this exact spot with Tong last year with one exception: he wasn’t ready. Tong dominated through Double-A and a glimpse in Triple-A continued to show signs of having the ability to pitch well in the majors. It wasn’t an absolute bloodletting. Two horrendous starts completely curbed his season totals and launched his ERA into the 7.71 stratosphere he never had time to escape from.

It’s the same deal this year, but timed out better. Tong is the long-term injury solution for the Mets in the rotation. He should also be their answer around the trade deadline if the team isn’t ready to trade significant prospects for major league rotation help. Last year’s deadline included very few significant starters changing teams. There’s little reason to believe things will be any different this time around.

Last year’s promotion of Nolan McLean proved effective. He stabilized the Mets rotation. Tong was the second asked to do the same. He didn’t have the same impact.

A lot of questions will be asked about Tong if he runs into any roadblocks in Triple-A or possibly gets crushed in the majors. Should the Mets have traded him instead of Brandon Sproat? Is he better off getting thrown into a reliever’s role? Will he actually be the guy he's supposed to be? The absolute worst thing is if the Mets think they have something with Tong and he flames out in the majors again. Once the trade deadline passes, it'll be another scramble. The Mets need to have a definitive answer with Tong.

If the Mets veterans do their job and stay healthy too, Tong won’t even be asked to do nearly as much as he was last year. Tong becoming an afterthought to the team's 2026 plans might actually be the best-case scenario of all for eveyrone, including Tong who'll have a full year to become the pitcher many believe he can turn into.