Mets’ Clay Holmes suffers fractured fibula, will be out ‘a long time’

The New York Mets will be without right-handed starter Clay Holmes for an extended period after he suffered a fractured right fibula in Friday night’s 5-2 loss to the New York Yankees at Citi Field during the Subway Series opener.

Holmes was injured in the fourth inning when Yankees rookie Spencer Jones hit a 111.1 mph line drive that struck his lower right leg, resulting in an infield single. After being checked by the training staff and manager Carlos Mendoza, Holmes remained in the game, continuing through the fourth inning and faced seven hitters in the fifth before exiting following a walk to Jazz Chisholm Jr. He was later sent for X-rays, which confirmed the fibula fracture, the smaller bone located alongside the tibia in the lower leg.

Following the loss, Mendoza stated Holmes will be “out for a long time,” but provided no specific timeline. Typical bone fractures take around six weeks to heal, potentially keeping him out through late June. However, since the injury is in his push-off leg, the recovery process could be more complicated, depending on where exactly the break occurred.

Carlos Mendoza announces that Clay Holmes has a fractured fibula and will be down for "a long time" pic.twitter.com/H5wS3dRIak

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) May 16, 2026

Before leaving the game, Holmes allowed four earned runs in 4 1/3 innings on seven hits. Though he had a less effective outing, he still came into the game carrying a glittering 2.39 ERA across nine starts and 52 2/3 innings this season, the best among Mets starters and one of the top marks in the majors, with only 14 qualified pitchers sitting below him.

Holmes had also been a reliable presence in New York’s rotation, producing a 3.22 FIP and 37 strikeouts while limiting opponents to 33 hits and 16 walks. His injury comes while the organization is already dealing with multiple absences, including Kodai Senga (lumbar spine inflammation), Justin Hagenman (rib fracture), and Tylor Megill (Tommy John surgery in September 2025).

The Mets are now 18-26, with Holmes’ absence further straining a pitching staff already carrying immense workload concerns.

The leading internal option to replace Holmes is No. 5 prospect Jack Wenninger, a 24-year-old right-hander with a 1.08 ERA over seven Triple-A starts for Syracuse. However, his 18 walks in 33 1/3 innings point to ongoing command issues. Other possibilities include Tobias Myers, still stretched out after an early-season bullpen role, and No. 2 prospect Jonah Tong, who has a 5.68 ERA over nine Syracuse starts.

Holmes’ value makes him hard to replace, but the rotation move is unavoidable.

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