The New York Mets’ 2026 season hit another major snag with the latest injury to starting pitcher Clay Holmes.
The Mets veteran got nailed by a 111.1-mph comebacker in the top of the 4th inning against the New York Yankees at Citi Field in Queens, N.Y. Holmes still made an effort to chase after the ball after getting struck in the right leg.
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
Mets trainers examined Holmes for a bit before allowing the 33-year-old right-hander to continue pitching. Holmes finished the inning and even faced two batters in the top of the 5th before being pulled out.
Holmes was removed with his pitch count at 95, which made it seem like he had successfully shrugged off the blow to his leg. That wasn’t the case. After the game, New York Post reporter Mike Puma confirmed that Holmes had suffered a fractured tibia in the 5-2 Mets loss.
Clay Holmes has a fractured tibia.
— Mike Puma (@NYPost_Mets) May 16, 2026
Mendoza told reporters that Holmes would be out of the rotation “for a long time” while recovering from the injury.
The news is a huge blow to the Mets, who saw Holmes as one of the few bright spots on the team this season. He entered Friday’s game with a team-best 1.86 ERA among starting pitchers, even outperforming ace Nolan McLean over the first two months.
Holmes allowed four earned runs against the Yankees on Friday. He had not allowed more than two earned runs in any of his previous eight starts.
