The Mets are giving Jonah Tong his chance.
Interim manager Andy Greentold reporters after the team's 10-6 win over the San Francisco Giants Friday night that Tong will be called up and start on Monday when they face the Marlins in Miami.
Green was asked about the decision to bring in Robert Stockto pitch in the eighth inning, leading him to share the plan to have Tong rejoin the rotation.
"I think we kind of rearranged our rotation coming out of the off-day," Green said. "We knew the three guys that were going to go this series. We have, we'll say it now, Jonah will start the first game against Miami. Sean[ Manaea] will start the next one and then we'll figure out where we are on that last day in Miami, which gave Robert a long time down and us the opportunity to use him in that capacity."
Green had hinted at Tong being considered for the opportunity earlier in the week, and now the 23-year-old will get prove he deserves it.
Tong last pitched in the majors on June 2 against the Seattle Mariners, allowing four earned runs on five hits in bulk relief (3.1 IP). In his brief stint with the Mets earlier this season, he went 1-1 with a 3.60 ERA over 10.0 IP (all in relief).
This time around, though, it sounds like Tong will get a real opportunity to show what he can do for the rest of the season.
"I just want to see him be himself," Green said before Saturday's game. "Come up here and compete. He's here, I don't anticipate he's gonna be gone from here, he's gonna be with us. Gonna take the ball and continue to take the baseball. I think we're encouraged by that opportunity for him and wanna see him just come up and compete and be himself."
It's been an up-and-down year for Tong in Triple-A, as he's gone 5-6 with a 4.54 ERA with 126 strikeouts across 23 starts. But he has impressed recently, pitching to a 0.84 ERA with 23 strikeouts over his last four starts, including a seven-inning one-hitter on Aug. 29 .
"It's been encouraging here at the end," Green said before Saturday's game. "I've loved the ownership in the way he's approaching his journey right now. Everybody grows up at different rates and he got to the big leagues incredibly quickly for a young guy who, just a couple years before that, was pitching in the FCL. That journey that fast can spin anybody's head and I've been really impressed with the way he's rebounded in the second half of the season and the outings he's strung together.
"For him, I think it's not the season he would've asked for, but it's the season he can stand on to his next step forward, and for us I think you just look for encouraging trend lines and there's been a number of them here lately."
New York has been patient with Tong's development this year after he was rushed to the big leagues at the end of the 2025 season and struggled.
Green spoke about the adversity the young hurler had to go through in the majors and how that can humble a player, but also, if used correctly, motivate them to come back even stronger. He even used a current Mets pitcher as an example of a player overcoming hardship to ultimately realize his potential.
"I think you get stronger by going through adversity if you use it appropriately and I think we try really hard as an organization to instill that in guys," the skipper said. "We don't look at tough stretches as losses or failure, we look at it as learnings that you stand on to go to your next level of greatness and so every single thing you go through makes you more prepared for what you go through next in life. This is harder here, this level is tough, it's the toughest level that exists so what he went through this year prepares him for the toughness that this level brings and so we're encouraged by that. I know often times the rest of the world will look at that and be discouraged.
"I still remember looking back at Nolan [McLean]going through a long winless streak in Double-A with an ERA north of 4 at the time and going, 'I'm glad he's going through this. This is going to serve him well' and the reason you believe that is you believe the tenacity that the person has -- he's gonna be able to use that for his future benefit. I think that's the way we look at Jonah and this year has clearly not been what he wanted, but it is what it is right now and he's got the opportunity to use it and show up here and have a great outing Monday in Miami."
