Jonah Tong: Everything you need to know

Tong gave up one hit and two walks over four scoreless innings Friday for Triple-A Syracuse. He struck out four. The 22-year-old right-hander hit 96.9 mph with his fastball and fired 42 of 73 pitches for strikes as he took the mound for Syracuse's opener, and including last season, Tong has yet to be charged with an earned run in three career Triple-A starts. Tong fell short of winning a big-league rotation spot this spring, but the top prospect should be one of the first pitchers called upon if the Mets need depth.

The Mets optioned Tong to Triple-A Syracuse on Tuesday. Tong struggled in his lone start this spring -- yielding three runs over 2.2 innings -- but this is more about the Mets having other rotation options, allowing them to give Tong more seasoning at Syracuse. The 22-year-old fanned 22 over 18.2 innings during his time with the Mets last season but also walked nine and posted a 7.71 ERA and 1.77 WHIP. It's likely Tong will wind up making lots of starts for the Mets this season, but for now he'll bide his time in the minors.

Tong (2-2) earned the win Thursday over San Diego, allowing one unearned run on four hits over five innings. He struck out eight. After allowing six runs in just two-thirds of an inning in his last start, Tong rebounded with an excellent effort against the Padres, logging a season high in strikeouts without issuing a walk. Through his first four starts (16.2 innings), Tong's posted a 5.94 ERA with a 1.44 WHIP and 21:7 K:BB. He'll look to build on Thursday's performance his next time out, tentatively slated for next week on the road against the Cubs.