Mets' Kay makes the jump up to Triple-A

Anthony Kay is one step closer to the Majors.
The Mets' seventh-ranked prospect was promoted to Triple-A Syracuse on Monday after making 12 starts with Double-A Binghamton. Over that time, the left-hander put together a 1.49 ERA, second in the Eastern League behind top Detroit prospectCasey Mize, who has a 1.27 mark in eight starts with Erie.

"Whenever you get a chance to move up a level, especially when it's to Triple-A and just one step away, it's really cool," Kay told Newsday on Monday. "You think about [reaching the Majors] pretty much every day, regardless of where you're at. It's good to have that in the back of your mind. 'All right, I'm pretty close to finally doing it.' But at the end of the day you need to be able to do the work now to get there."
Kay makes the leap in his second season as a professional. In addition to his top-tier ERA, he's tied for fifth in the league in strikeouts (70) and fourth in WHIP (0.92). He dealt 5 1/3 scoreless innings in his final start for the Rumble Ponies on Saturday, allowing three hits and two walks while striking out nine against Hartford.
Last year as a rookie, the Connecticut product put together a 4.54 ERA over 13 starts with Class A Columbia before earning a promotion to Class A Advanced St. Lucie, where he closed out the year with a 3.88 ERA across his final 10 appearances. In total between the two levels, he struck out 123 over 122 1/3 frames.

Kay was a standout with the Huskies in college, prompting the Mets to select him 31st overall in the 2016 Draft. His rookie campaign was delayed, however by concerns with his elbow that ultimately required Tommy John surgery, which shelved him for all of 2017.
No. 20 Mets prospect Ryley Gilliam also made the jump to Syracuse with Kay. In 19 relief appearance with Binghamton, the right-hander posted a 3.68 ERA and struck out 44 over 29 1/3 innings.