Tong optioned to Triple-A to work on command; Gerber recalled
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SEATTLE -- For the second time in his young career, Jonah Tong is heading back to the Minors.
The Mets optioned Tong to Triple-A Syracuse on Wednesday morning, ending his latest stint with the big club after only three appearances. In the third of them, on Tuesday, Tong allowed five runs (four earned) over 3 1/3 innings of bulk relief in an 8-3 loss to the Mariners. He returns to the Minors having walked six batters over his last six innings, which he blamed on a lack of fastball command.
“Moving forward, that’s the main thing I’ll focus on for the next few games, weeks, just getting that dialed back in,” Tong said. “I’m more than confident I’ll rebound really nicely.”
Overall, Tong produced a 3.60 ERA over his three bulk relief appearances, though he was extremely inefficient in the latter two of them, averaging more than 22 pitches per inning. The rookie right-hander has struggled since his initial call-up late last season, producing a 7.71 ERA over five starts that year, then a 5.68 mark over nine starts at Syracuse prior to this demotion.
“He’s too talented,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “Obviously, we need to see consistency with him throwing strikes. We need him. He’s got to go down there and continue to develop.”
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Because the Mets have off-days on Thursday and Monday, they can temporarily move to a four-man rotation before deciding what to do with Tong’s slot. The Mets don’t need a fifth starter again until June 13, and by that point, Kodai Senga could be ready to return from a bout of lumbar spine inflammation. But if the Mets are concerned about Senga’s lack of success on a Minor League rehab assignment, they could turn back to rookie Zach Thornton, call up No. 5 prospect Jack Wenninger, or seek an external solution.
In the interim, the Mets will carry an extra reliever -- for now, that’s right-hander Joey Gerber, whom they recalled Wednesday -- to replace Tong. New York’s current four-man rotation includes Freddy Peralta, Christian Scott, Nolan McLean and Sean Manaea.