Clay Holmes faces unique scenario with Mets future hanging in balance as he recovers from injury
Clay Holmes is on the cusp of returning to the mound, but the chances of it being for the Mets seem slim. That fact is not lost on Holmes, who addressed the looming Aug.3 trade deadline on Friday after his first minor league rehab start for Triple-A Syracuse.
In addition to recovering from a fractured right fibula over the past two-plus months, the veteran pitcher has also had to come to terms with the possibility of playing for a different team by the time he is fully healed. Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Mike Puma about the inside buzz on the Mets.“It’s different, for sure,” he said before the Mets opened a 10-game homestand against the Dodgers.
“It’s just a unique scenario.I think the timing of just this injury, just the unforeseen kind of circumstances are with the team.
I think all that together has just put together a very unique, weird scenario here.Sometimes it’s easy to let your mind wander, and there’s a lot of things out there that you can’t really control.
You do know that there’ll be some impact on your future, but I think just as an athlete, especially me right now, I want to be pitching my best, whether that’s here or somewhere else these last two months. “I just need to really be locked in on just the things I can do, things I can do on the mound, and hopefully the other things take care of themselves.” Asked if extension talks between the Mets and his agent ever went anywhere, Holmes said he didn’t think “there was a ton there.” The 33-year-old has a $12 million player option for 2027 and is widely expected to decline in order to enter free agency this upcoming winter.Considering Holmes is one of the few bright spots on the team, the Mets certainly recognize him as one of their top trade chips. Holmes posted a 2.39 ERA over nine starts and 52 ²/₃ innings before getting struck by a comebacker on May 15. “I don’t know.
We’ll see how this ...