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Mets' manager Carlos Mendoza had high praise for Jonah Tong after he made his season debut

The New York Mets have played much better baseball in the month of May, but they are still fighting to find their way out of the basement of the National League East division. After winning four of their past six games, though, the Mets opened their three-game series against the Miami Marlins on Friday with a disappointing 2-1 loss.

After using Tobias Myers as an opener, New York managed to piece together the rest of the game with Sean Manaea and Jonah Tong out of the bullpen. After getting promoted to the majors earlier in the day, this was Tong’s first outing of the year with the Mets, and in the wake of the game, manager Carlos Mendoza made it clear he was pleased with what he saw from the young right-hander.

Carlos Mendoza on Jonah Tong’s Outing — ‘Very Encouraging’

New York has been leaning heavily on its farm system as it works on turning around its season, and Tong became the latest prospect to get called up to the majors. Tong briefly made his way to the majors in 2025, but there’s reason to believe that he could be sticking around for the foreseeable future if his performance on Friday is anything to go by.

Tong made five starts for the Mets last year, but he posted an ugly 7.71 ERA during his time on the mound. New York opted to have Tong start the year at Triple-A, and while he flashed signs of his potential, he still posted a bloated 5.68 ERA through his first nine starts. Still, the Mets needed some pitching help in the majors, which led them to turn to Tong.

While his team didn’t win, Tong immediately made his club look genius for calling him up to the big leagues, as he twirled three hitless innings, giving up just one walk and racking up a pair of strikeouts. It was exactly the sort of performance New York wanted to see from Tong, and while Mendoza was upset to have lost the game, he loved what he saw from the team’s No. 2 overall prospect.

“Very encouraging,’’ Mendoza said of Tong, per George Richards of MLB.com. “The velo, the fastball, the way he was playing — his changeup was good. He attacked with the curve, gave us a chance. But, offensively, we just didn’t get anything other than a couple of at-bats from Soto.”

Mets Hoping Jonah Tong Can Carve Out a Role in the Majors

GettyMIAMI, FLORIDA – MAY 22: Jonah Tong #21 of the New York Mets delivers during the seventh inning against the Miami Marlins at loanDepot park on May 22, 2026 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)

There was reason to be concerned about Tong’s promotion to the majors, as he hasn’t looked particularly great on the mound over the past few months. The Mets don’t really have any need to rush his development, but they felt it was worth calling him up to see what he can do. It’s only one outing, but Tong very well may be on the path to establishing himself in the majors in the blink of an eye.

Tong’s role moving forward is unclear, but he is going to be sticking with New York for the time being, which means he should have an opportunity to build off this impressive performance. The Mets will aim to avoid suffering a quick series defeat on Saturday, as they will look to get back in the win column against the Marlins.