Clay Holmes knew by the time he left Friday’s game in the top of the fifth that he likely had a fractured leg, having experienced a similar injury with the Pirates in the spring of 2020.
“I wasn’t too surprised when the X-rays showed it,’’ Holmes said Sunday as he stood in the Mets clubhouse with a boot on his right leg — a result of the 111-mph comebacker Spencer Jones got him with on Friday that will sideline the right-hander for months with a fractured fibula.
Holmes said he’s been told surgery is unlikely, so his timeline for a return will largely be dictated by how quickly the bone heals. It’s typically a 4-6 week recovery for the fracture and then he’ll have to be built back up.
“It’s tough from a personal standpoint because I felt I was in a good spot with my body and arm and it’s hard to stay healthy in this game,” Holmes said. “A freak accident that’s out of your control can be tough.”
And it came in what’s been an injury-filled season in Queens.
“We hadn’t gotten off to the start we wanted and to see guys battling through it and coming together, you want to be in the fight with everyone,” Holmes said. “To be on the sideline, it will be tough to watch.’’
It’s another blow for the Mets, who already lost Juan Soto to an IL stint with a strained calf and are currently without other injured players like Francisco Lindor — also with a calf strain — Jorge Polanco (Achilles), Luis Robert Jr. (back), Francisco Alvarez (knee) and Kodai Senga (lumbar spine inflammation).
Losing Holmes is especially significant, since he was having a superb year in what’s been an inconsistent rotation.
The Mets have Christian Scott starting Monday in Washington and Nolan McLean will start either Tuesday or Wednesday — with a decision to come for the day McLean isn’t on the mound.
Asked about the adversity the Mets have faced so far this season, Holmes said, “I feel every team goes through it, to some capacity. When they pile up at once, it can be tough. Your depth is tested… We’ll see what we have right now. I believe in the guys we have in here.”
