New York Mets right-hander Clay Holmes will be out "a long time" with a fractured fibula, manager Carlos Mendoza announced postgame Friday.
However, the Mets received some good news on Holmes' status, as Mendoza revealed it's not a season-ending injury.
"Obviously he's going to be down for quite a bit here, but yes, definitely we'll see him (again) this season," Mendoza told reporters Saturday.
Clay Holmes will need to wait 6-8 weeks until his fibula heals before building up to return. Carlos Mendoza said it’ll basically be a spring training buildup. He declined to give any timeline specifics, but adding it all up it sounds like Holmes could miss around three months.
— Jorge Castillo (@jorgecastillo) May 16, 2026
Holmes was hit in the leg by a 111.1-mph comebacker in the fourth inning of a 5-2 loss to the New York Yankees.
Spencer Jones hit a 111.1 MPH liner off of Clay Holmes, who is staying in the game after a conversation with trainers and coaches pic.twitter.com/dNSnrFhDij
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) May 16, 2026
The 33-year-old stayed in the game following the play and faced another seven batters. The Mets had no idea he suffered the injury until he underwent X-rays after exiting, according to Anthony DiComo of MLB.com.
"Huge blow," Mendoza said, according to SNY. "He's been one of the most consistent guys that we had in that rotation."
Holmes was off to a hot start, authoring a 2.39 ERA with 1.10 WHIP and 45 strikeouts over 52 2/3 innings (nine starts) this season.
The Mets placed Holmes on the 15-day injured list Saturday, replacing him on the roster with right-hander Joey Gerber. It's still unclear who will take Holmes' spot in the rotation, but Mendoza said that reliever Tobias Myers is "on the table" to move into a starting role.
Spencer Jones, who hit Holmes with the liner, was informed of the pitcher's injury by reporters after the game.
"I'm sorry," Jones said. "He's a friend of mine, we work out in Nashville together, so that's tough to hear."
Holmes played with the Yankees from 2021-24 before joining the Mets as a free agent.
"He's a dog," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said when asked about Holmes staying in the game after fracturing his leg. "He's a gamer. He's physically tough, but he's tough between the ears, too."
