MIAMI -- The Mets added one of their top young pitchers on Friday, while saying goodbye to a potential future Hall of Famer.
Right-hander Jonah Tong, the team's No. 2 prospect and No. 36 in baseball according to MLB Pipeline, was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse before the series opener in Miami, while righty reliever Craig Kimbrel was designated for assignment.
Friday afternoon, before the Mets opened a three-game series with the Marlins, manager Carlos Mendoza said Tong would start out in the bullpen.
Tong made his Major League debut last season, starting in a 19-9 win over the Marlins at Citi Field on Aug. 29. He went five innings, striking out six.
In five games with the Mets last season, Tong went 2-3 with a 7.71 ERA, striking out 22 in 18 2/3 innings.
“As of right now, he is part of the bullpen,” Mendoza said of the 22-year-old who led the Minor Leagues in strikeouts last season. “He could be a long reliever, depending on how the game goes. For today, tomorrow, he’s part of the bullpen.”
Tong, who was tied for sixth in strikeouts among Minor League pitchers going into Friday, was supposed to start for Triple-A Syracuse on Wednesday. But he was scratched from that outing -- an indication that he was likely headed to join the Mets in Miami.
There was a thought Tong could get a start against the Marlins, but Mendoza said that after Tobias Myers goes Friday, Freddy Peralta would go on Saturday, with Christian Scott starting the series finale on Sunday.
Kimbrel, who turns 38 on Thursday, is 56-50 with a 2.65 ERA and 1,297 strikeouts during the course of his 17-year career.
His 440 saves are fifth all-time, but he has not recorded one since he got 23 with the Orioles during the 2024 season.
Kimbrel signed with the Mets on a Minor League deal and did not make the team out of Spring Training.
After joining the team in April, he went 0-2 with a 6.00 ERA -- striking out 15 in 15 innings.
Mendoza said the veteran was informed of the team’s decision on Thursday night.
“Super tough,” Mendoza said when asked what it was like breaking the news to Kimbrel. “Not only what he was able to do on the field, but off the field -- the person, the human. He understood, he was very professional. But it wasn’t an easy one for me. … Nothing but respect, and we wish him nothing but the best.”
Mendoza added that he hopes the Mets will be able to keep the veteran pitcher if he passes through waivers.
“We would like to be selfish here, we would like to keep him around,” Mendoza said. “It’s our understanding there might be some options for him out there, especially the way he has been throwing the ball as of late.”