Filling Clay Holmes' Rotation Spot Could be a Fluid Situation for Mets

The Mets lost Clay Holmes for months after he suffered a fractured fibula on Friday. It may take a committee to fill his spot in the starting rotation.

May 15, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets pitcher Clay Holmes (35) delivers a pitch during the third inning against the New York Yankees at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The New York Mets are on a heater right now but one of their biggest challenges appears to be filling the hole created by the loss of Clay Holmes. The right-hander had been the Mets' best starter this season before suffering a fractured fibula on a comebacker off the bat of Yankees rookie Spencer Jones on Friday night.

The first man up to attempt to fill that spot is lefty Zach Thornton, who was recently promoted to Triple-A Syracuse. The Mets announced on Monday night that Thornton will either draw a start against the Washington Nationals or follow an opener.

Carlos Mendoza says Zach Thornton will pitch for the Mets in some capacity on Wednesday

"He earned it. We like [him] as a lefty against this lineup"

Mendoza also said the Mets considered Jonah Tong for Wednesday's start as well. pic.twitter.com/nBjctsPs2Q

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) May 18, 2026

The big positive for Thornton is his command, as his walk rate is significantly lower in the minor leagues than either of the Mets' other top pitching prospects, Jonah Tong and Jack Wenninger. Thornton has issued only 12 free passes in 37 innings, compared to 24 in 38 innings for Tong and 22 in 35.2 innings for Wenninger.

Manager Carlos Mendoza indicated prior to yesterday's game that the Mets are viewing this situation to fill Holmes' rotation spot as fluid. The matchup against Washington, which is loaded with left-handed hitters, played in Thornton's favor but he isn't guaranteed a permanent shot at a rotation spot.

How the Mets could fill Clay Holmes' rotation spot for the next few months

The Mets have to be very careful with how they look to fill Holmes' rotation spot due to their roster construction. It has already been tricky for Mendoza to manage his bullpen due to the team's insistence on carrying seven starting pitchers on a 13-man staff, largely to accommodate Sean Manaea.

Despite failing to crack the rotation out of spring training, Manaea has been kept on the roster and used sparingly in either mop-up situations or long relief. The Mets needed Manaea to throw 57 pitches over four innings on Sunday, which should theoretically stretch him out enough to be in position to enter the rotation later this week.

The results weren't great for Manaea on Sunday—allowing three runs on four hits and two walks—but his $25 million salary for both this season and next season means the Mets want to get some kind of return on that investment. The Miami Marlins do have a lot of lefties in their lineup, so they could opt to insert Manaea between Freddy Peralta and Christian Scott on Saturday to see how he fares in that situation.

Inserting Manaea into the rotation could allow the Mets to take advantage of several situations. Sending Thornton out after one start would allow the Mets to add a fresh reliever to the bullpen, which could be important since the Mets are in the middle of a stretch of 16 straight games without an off day.

That transaction would allow the Mets to function for a bit with six starters and seven relievers, a more traditional deployment of pitching resources. The math is already complex with David Peterson functioning best behind an opener, so having a more traditional starter in one of those slots allows the Mets to perhaps use Tobias Myers as that opener.

Myers made one start ahead of Peterson earlier this season and could be a candidate to do so again on Thursday, when Peterson's rotation slot comes up again. The Mets have wanted to use Myers as a multi-inning reliever this season, but he does have enough starting experience with Milwaukee that they could opt to build him up into a starter if they so choose.

A third option could be using Holmes' rotation spot to audition several young pitchers for a role in the majors. Tong, who made his big league debut last September, is a key consideration in the Mets' long-term plans and is due for another opportunity at some point while the fast-rising Wenninger may make his big league debut if he improves his command.

The other pitcher Mets fans can't forget about is Kodai Senga, who just threw a bullpen session over the weekend while rehabbing his back injury. Senga will need a lengthy rehab assignment to ensure his back holds up, but if he is pitching well in the minors a month from now he could also be a factor to watch here.

The one thing that doesn't appear to be on the table right now is an external addition. The Mets have enough in-house options to backfill Holmes' slot, but don't be surprised if TBA is a frequent rotation member over the next month or two.