Clay Holmes (fibula) expected to make rehab start

Holmes was originally slated to make a minor league rehab start for High-A Brooklyn, but that has been scrapped due to the high possibility of rain in the forecast. The 33-year-old impending free agent has drawn some interest as a potential trade candidate, unless the Mets opt to extend him, while working his way back from a fractured fibula that put him on the shelf back in mid-May.

Holmes has been out since fracturing his fibula back in mid-May when he was struck by a comebacker. The 33-year-old was originally expected to miss three months, so it looks like he’s on track with that estimate, which puts him back in New York’s rotation by early August.

Holmes fractured his fibula on May 15th when he was hit by a comebacker. The original timeline was that he would miss three months, and that appears to be holding. If Holmes begins throwing in July, he could conceivably return to the Mets in the early part of August.

Severino has posted a 1.04 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, and 18/8 K/BB ratio in 17 1/3 innings at Triple-A this season for the Mets. Rather than lose him to another team, the Mets decided to add him to the 40-man roster and then send him back to Triple-A. To free up space on the 40-man roster, the Mets transferred Clay Holmes to the 60-day IL.

The good news is, it appears Holmes will not need to undergo season-ending surgery. The bad news is that Mets manager Carlos Mendoza believes that Holmes is going to miss around three months with the fracture. The right-hander was one of the few bright spots with a 2.39 ERA over his 52 2/3 innings, but it now seems unlikely he’ll be back in the Mets rotation until the middle of August — at the earliest.

Holmes suffered a broken leg when he was nailed by a 111-mph line drive from Yankees rookie Spencer Jones during the fourth inning of Friday’s start at Citi Field. Amazingly, he faced seven additional batters prior to exiting the contest when X-rays revealed the fracture in his leg. The unfortunate development is the latest crushing blow to New York’s rotation, and a significant hit for fantasy rotations, since he posted a sparkling 2.39 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 45/18 K/BB ratio across 52 2/3 innings over nine starts to open the year. He’s facing a lengthy absence and figures to miss at least a couple months. There should be a definitive timetable from the Mets at some point soon. Jack Wenninger, Jonah Tong and Tobias Myers are the logical candidates to take his rotation spot. Wenninger, who has posted a 1.08 ERA and 38/18 K/BB ratio over 33 1/3 innings at Triple-A Syracuse this season, and Tong would be the most intriguing fantasy-wise given their strikeout upside.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza told reporters after the game that Holmes will be out “for a long time.” It’s another massive blow to New York’s rotation as Holmes had been exceptional so far this season with a 2.39 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 45/18 K/BB ratio across 52 2/3 innings across nine starts. He’ll hit the injured list this weekend and could wind up missing the rest of the year given the severity of the injury.

Holmes held his former team scoreless through the first two innings but ran into some trouble in the third inning. After retiring the first two batters he faced in the frame, Holmes would allow back-to-back singles to Ben Rice and Aaron Judge, who were then driven home by back-to-back doubles from Cody Bellinger and Jazz Chisholm. Holmes would retire Ryan McMahon on strikes to end the inning, but was charged with one more earned run in the fifth inning after being pulled for Austin Warren. Holmes took a 111.1 MPH liner off the leg from Spencer Jones with no outs in the fourth inning, but stayed in the game despite the scary situation. He struck out a season-high eight batters despite having his shortest and arguably his worst outing of the season. He draws another tough start in his next outing, which is scheduled for Wednesday on the road against the Nationals.

Holmes was once again solid while throwing a season-high 103 pitches, but a two-out rally from Arizona in the third inning (which consisted of three singles and a walk) was enough to do him in. He struck out six and walked a pair in the loss. Holmes is now 4-3 on the year despite a stingy 1.86 ERA. He hasn’t allowed more than two earned runs in any of his eight starts. He’ll look for more run support in the series opener against the Yankees on Friday.

While the Mets’ other four starters are a combined 2-13, Holmes has opened the campaign 4-2 with a 1.69 ERA, and he still hasn’t allowed more than two runs in any of his seven starts. He’s due to face the Diamondbacks next time out.