Mets say Clay Holmes' broken leg likely to heal in time for return late this season

NEW YORK (AP) — New York Mets pitcher Clay Holmes' broken leg should heal in time for him to pitch again for the team during the final two months of this season.

Holmes' right fibula was fractured by a 111.1 mph comebacker off the bat of the Yankees' Spencer Jones during the Mets' 5-2 loss on Friday night.

“Yes, definitely we’ll see him this season,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “We lost a big, big part of our team.”

Mendoza said the leg will need six to eight weeks to heal and the 33-year-old right-hander will follow with a spring training-type ramp-up, usually about six weeks.

An MRI on Saturday confirmed the results of an X-ray on Friday. Holmes will not need surgery.

“Not going to lie. Last night was tough. We’ve been hit a lot this year with a lot of superstars, with a lot of key players, but yesterday felt different," Mendoza said. “It’s a combination of a lot of things, not only the injuries, but what Clay means to this team not only on the field, but off the field: the competitor, the person, the human, what it means to that clubhouse and what it means to the team in their rotation. So that’s why yesterday felt different.”

A two-time All-Star reliever with the Yankees, Holmes left to sign a $38 million, three-year deal with the Mets before the 2025 season, was shifted from the bullpen to the rotation and went 12-8 with a 3.53 ERA.

He is 4-4 with a 2.39 ERA this year for the Mets, who began Saturday last in the NL East at 18-26 despite starting the season with baseball's highest payroll. He was placed on the 15-day injured list Saturday, and New York filled the roster spot by recalling right-hander Joey Gerber from Triple-A Syracuse.

Holmes joined shortstop Francisco Lindor, catcher Francisco Alvarez, first baseman Jorge Polanco and center fielder Luis Robert Jr. on the IL along with ineffective starting pitcher Kodai Senga and backups Ronny Mauricio and Jared Young.

Mendoza received the diagnosis of Holmes' break when rookie A.J. Ewing was at the plate in the seventh inning with two outs and runners at second and third.

“You feel like you’re getting momentum, and I got the trainer coming up to me and telling me the news,” Mendoza said. “I was like: 'Oh my gosh.'”

Right-hander Tobias Myers could be shifted from the bullpen to the rotation. Left-hander Sean Manaea, who has been pitching out of the bullpen, is another possible starting option.

“When you look at the usage and the pitch count, how many pitches can we ask? Is it 45? Is it 50?” Mendoza said.

Senga, on the IL since April 27 because of lumbar spine inflammation, is not an option for the next turn through the rotation. He is set to throw batting practice Sunday at Port St. Lucie, Florida, going multiple simulated innings.

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