The Mets promoted 22-year-old stud pitching prospect Jonah Tong to Syracuse on Sunday — after he dominated at Double-A Binghamton with a 1.59 ERA over 20 starts — but the expectation within the organization is the right-hander won’t be a candidate to pitch in the major leagues this season.

After leading the NL East to start the season, they're now six games behind the Philadelphia Phillies for first place and just two games ahead of the Cincinnati Reds for the third and final NL Wild Card spot with six weeks left.

Carlos Mendoza announced on Tuesday that Frankie Montas would be shifting to the bullpen. That opens a spot in the Mets rotation.