Mets Hit with Injury Blow Before Facing Yankees in Subway Series Game 2: Clay Holmes to Miss Significant Time
MLB, Baseball Herren, USA Spring Training: New York Mets at Toronto Blue Jays New York Mets pitcher Clay Holmes 35 gets high fives in the dugout during an MLB Spring Training game against the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday, February 23, 2026 at TD Ballpark. The Mets beat the Blue Jays 4-3. Kim Hukari/Image of Dunedin Florida USA EDITORIAL USE ONLY Copyright: xImagexofxSportx KimxHukarix iosphotos396535
MLB, Baseball Herren, USA Spring Training: New York Mets at Toronto Blue Jays New York Mets pitcher Clay Holmes 35 gets high fives in the dugout during an MLB Spring Training game against the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday, February 23, 2026 at TD Ballpark. The Mets beat the Blue Jays 4-3. Kim Hukari/Image of Dunedin Florida USA EDITORIAL USE ONLY Copyright: xImagexofxSportx KimxHukarix iosphotos396535
The Mets took another hard hit on Friday night. And this one hurt even more because it came from one of their most trusted arms.
Clay Holmes, who had been one of the club’s best starters this season, left the 5-2 loss to the Yankees with a fractured right fibula after a 111.1 mph line drive from rookie Spencer Jones struck his leg in the fourth inning.
"We got bad news because he's [Holmes] got a fractured tibia. So he's going to be down for a long time," Manager Carlos Mendoza said following the defeat.
Holmes stayed in the game after the shot to the leg, finished the inning, and even got one more out in the fifth before coming out at 95 pitches.
"I could tell he was hurt, and he’s not a guy that’s showing it a lot or trying not to show it, but you could tell it got him good," said Yankees manager Aaron Boone, who managed Holmes from 2021-24 in the Yankees. "Even watching him move off the mound when he was walking off, I know it didn’t look that great."
Before the injury, Holmes had been carrying the Mets’ rotation. He entered the night with a 1.86 ERA and a 4-3 record, and he had not allowed more than two earned runs in any of his previous eight starts.
"It’s a huge blow," Mendoza said. "He’s been one of the most consistent guys that we had in that rotation."
But Friday was his roughest night of the year. He gave up four runs on seven hits and two walks, struck out eight, and saw his ERA rise to 2.39 in 4.1 innings.
Jones apologized to Holmes after the game.
The Mets' 2026 season is crippled with injuries
Clay Holmes is now the latest Mets star to head to the already-overflowing injured list. Holmes joins a long injury list that already includes Francisco Lindor, Francisco Alvarez, Jorge Polanco, Luis Robert Jr., and Kodai Senga.
The Mets have tried to patch the holes with younger players, including A.J. Ewing and Carson Benge, but they visibly struggled.
It remains unclear how much time Holmes might miss. In his absence, the Mets will rely upon David Peterson, Freddy Peralta, Christian Scott, and Nolan McLean in the rotation.
The 24-year-old right-hander, Jack Wenninger, the organisation's fifth-ranked prospect, can replace Homes in the rotation.
Read more at the New York Yankees Community!
Written by
Md Saife Fida
Edited by
Yask Kotak