The New York Mets saw starter Clay Holmes go down with a fractured right fibula in their 5-2 loss to the New York Yankees on May 15. The right-hander will be down for the foreseeable future, but Mets manager Carlos Mendoza confirmed they expect to see him pitch for them again this season.
“Obviously, he’s going to be down for quite a bit here, but we’ll see him this season,” said Mendoza, with video courtesy of the team’s network, SNYtv.
https://x.com/SNY_Mets/status/2055740901914235377
MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo shared more details on the potential return timeline for Holmes. The right-hander will be shut down for at least the next six to eight weeks for the bone to heal. Once he’s back on a mound, he’ll need a full Spring Training-style build-up. That could take another four to six weeks, depending on how well Holmes progresses.
With that long a timeline, the right-hander will not likely be back before the trade deadline. Holmes was the subject of trade rumors, especially with the Mets struggling to a 18-26 record. Since he was performing well in 2026 and under contract for 2027 at a reasonable salary of $12 million, the organization could have commanded a haul.
Clay Holmes ‘Down for Quite a Bit’ With Fractured Fibula
Holmes suffered the injury in the fourth inning of his start. Yankees rookie Spencer Jones ripped a 111.1 MPH comebacker that struck the right-hander’s right shin. Holmes recorded three more outs before being removed from the game. The fibula fracture was announced postgame.
The following day, the Mets placed the right-hander on the 15-day injured list. Right-handed reliever Joey Gerber was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse. He’ll serve as an extra reliever before Holmes’ rotation spot comes up again on May 20.
Holmes becomes the second Mets starter to suffer an injury during the 2026 season. Kodai Senga hasn’t pitched since late April due to lumbar spine inflammation. Before the game, Mendoza said that Senga will throw a live BP at the club’s Spring Training facility in Florida on May 17.
With injuries being almost one-sided for the Mets, they’ll take any positive injury news they can get. But even then, Senga is still weeks out from a return as he’ll have to ramp up to a starter’s workload himself.
Who Fills Clay Holmes’ Rotation Spot?
It will still be months before Holmes takes the mound for the Mets. However, they’ll need to find a way to plug that hole until the day the right-hander returns to action.
It will be interesting to see who the Mets will call up for that start. They have two prospects in Triple-A they could turn to between Jonah Tong and Jack Wenninger. Wenninger would require a 40-man roster move, although the Mets could transfer Holmes to the 60-day injured list to make that happen.
Tong aligns better with Holmes’ rotation spot, as his previous start with Syracuse was on May 14. Wenninger is scheduled to start again on May 17 against Scranton Wilkes-Barre. If the Mets want to go with the least disruptive move, they could call up their No. 2 prospect for his second MLB stint.
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