Internal Rotation Options in the Minor Leagues

Robert Stock got lit up on Saturday. He lasted just three innings and gave up eight earned runs on nine hits and five walks. It was a crash back to reality after a stellar first MLB start since 2022 for the 36-year-old, jumping his small-sample-size ERA from 1.80 to 10.13.

No, he’s not a 10.13 ERA pitcher. There are things to like. He throws pretty hard, has a strong arsenal that goes five pitches deep and pitched well in his handful of minor league appearances this season. He earned a look.

Ultimately, though, he’s not a part of the future of this franchise. The Mets’ focus the rest of this season should be on the development of players who can help them in 2027 and beyond. Stock is not one of those players. However, is there even anyone available to replace him, or do the Mets actually need Stock to eat innings? Let’s look at the candidates.

Jonah Tong

Jonah Tong made his MLB debut in 2025 and has appeared in three big league games this year, all in relief. The first was throwing the three final innings of a game, and the other two were behind an opener. He had his ups and downs, but showed a lot of the same struggles from last year.

In Triple-A, it’s been a disaster. In 19 starts, Tong has a 5.49 ERA. He’s still striking out batters at a good clip, but his walk rate is still too high. Just as it looked like he was turning a bit of a corner to end July, he gave up five homers in his first start of August. They were all solo shots and were also the only hits he gave up, but five homers is five homers. That’s bad.

There’s an argument to be made that at this point, the Mets should just let Tong try to work it out at the MLB level. The International League is not an overly friendly environment for pitchers when it comes to its ballparks, so maybe getting to pitch in big league stadiums with a big league defense behind him would help. Of course, he’d then have to face big league hitters too, so there’s that. However, I view Tong as someone whose stuff is either going to play, or it’s not, regardless of the opposition. If he can avoid beating himself, I think he can get MLB hitters out.

That said, he’s given the Mets no reason to reward him with a promotion. He needs to be better. If it were up to me, I would probably give him another MLB look, but I can’t fault the Mets for not doing so.

Jack Wenninger

In the first few weeks of the season, Jack Wenninger looked like he was positioning himself to be the first guy up from Syracuse when the Mets needed an arm. What’s unfolded over the last two and a half months, however, has been catastrophic. In his last 13 games, Wenninger has 6.36 ERA, fewer strikeouts than innings pitched and a pile of walks that is only getting larger.

With Wenninger, it’s really, really simple. He needs to throw strikes. His walk rate this season is 13.1%. That’s up from the 7.6% it was last year and the 8.0% from the year before. Until he fixes this issue, he’s not a big league option.

Jonathan Santucci

The top left-handed pitching prospect in the system, Jonathan Santucci is having a really strong season. He pitched consistently well at Double-A, earned a promotion to Triple-A at the end of July, and has turned in a pair of solid starts to begin his tenure at the new level. He hasn’t wowed, but he hasn’t looked overmatched.

I don’t think he’s an MLB option this year. It’s just too early. He’s too much of an unfinished product. He’s getting results on the back of his nasty fastball and slider combo, but his other two pitches still need work. He doesn’t have a lot of innings on his arm, so he really just needs to pitch more to keep honing them. That’s something that will come with time, but he needs to be allowed that time and not rushed. Santucci will throw big league innings next year (if there’s a season). This year, the best thing he can do is work on his changeup and curveball in a lower-stakes environment.

Tobias Myers

Remember him? Tobias Myers is still in Triple-A, and he seems like the most realistic option if the Mets replace Stock. Unfortunately, he just hasn’t been good. In five games since his last MLB appearance, Myers has a 7.82 ERA. He’s also not very stretched out, maxing out at 3 and 1/3 innings during that span. Myers seems like an option if the Mets want to have a pseudo bullpen game, not a traditional starter. There are a lot of arms in the pen who are capable of going multiple innings, so it’s certainly possible. Stock could even factor into that, in theory.

The Verdict

That’s really it. Maybe there’s a 0.0001% chance they call up the newly acquired Gary Gill Hill straight from Double-A, but I doubt it. He’d throw strikes, but it would be unfair to the 21-year-old. I think Stock likely gets at least one more turn in the rotation. Maybe they throw an opener in front of him this time.

The Mets would probably love Tong to force the issue. If he was pitching even close to well, this wouldn’t be a conversation. He just hasn’t earned it.

There’s one more thing that should be addressed. Yes, Tong and Wenninger haven’t had very good seasons. There’s a lot of talk about how the Mets’ minor league system has taken a big step back this year. That might be partially true in some aspects, but it’s missing the full picture.

For one, that’s what happens when you graduate as many players as the Mets have. If you count Christian Scott—and you should, as this is the first time in his career he’s had an extended run in the big leagues—then 3/5 of the Mets’ rotation is comprised of freshly graduated players. Scott, Nolan McLean and Zac Thornton have all been big contributors this season, and all have recently graduated from the organization’s player development system. Then, of course, you have the two outfielders who look like franchise cornerstones.

Tong, Wenninger and some others have taken steps back. There’s no denying it. But development isn’t linear, and they still have plenty of time to right the ship. If they don’t, then frankly, it happens! Top prospects don’t pan out all the time, for every single team in baseball. Chayce McDermott was the top-ranked pitching prospect in the Baltimore Orioles organization on MLB Pipeline just last season. Now, he’s a member of the Mets’ bullpen on his third team of the season.

Just as some guys have taken steps back, others have taken steps forward. Mitch Voit is exploding in Double-A. Daviel Hurtado is having a breakout season in High-A. Channing Austin, Nick Lorusso, Emilio Obispo, Jose Chirinos, Garrett Stratton, Corey Collins, John Bay, JT Benson, Bryce Jenkins and others have all either taken steps forward or emerged in their first full season of minor league baseball.

It’s how minor league baseball works.