Mets manager Carlos Mendoza spoke ahead of Saturday’s game against the Yankees to give updates on Clay Holmes and the team’s plan…
Latest on Holmes
After X-rays showed Holmes had suffered a fractured fibula after taking a hard comebacker to the leg in Friday’s series opener, Mendoza said an MRI confirmed the findings.
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The Mets skipper did say surgery isn’t on the table and has been told they should expect Holmes back with the team this season.
“He’s going to be down for quite a bit here,” Mendoza said. “But we should see him [this season].”
How long it will take for Holmes to rejoin the rotation is not known. However, Mendoza did say that Holmes won’t start a throwing program until the fracture has healed, which could take 6-8 weeks. Holmes will then have to ramp up in a manner similar to spring training.
While there’s a silver lining to the news, Mendoza was candid when asked what the impact of Holmes’ injury means to the locker room.
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“We’ve been hit a lot this year with a lot of our superstars with a lot of key players, but yesterday felt different,” Mendoza said.
As SNY’s John Harper documented after Friday’s 5-2 loss, a sense of shock could be felt in the clubhouse after the Holmes injury news was divulged. The only player to speak after the game was Juan Soto, who spoke glowingly of Holmes.
Holmes is set to speak to the media prior to Sunday’s series finale.
Tobias Myers an option, but there’s a catch
As the Mets consider their options to replace Holmes in the rotation, Myers seems like a likely candidate.
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Myers has starting experience, 32 career starts, but has been used as the long man in the Mets bullpen. However, his performance of late has seen him be used in more high-leverage situations. Still, Mendoza said the team is considering transitioning Myers into the rotation.
“He’s on the table. That’s one of the names that we are considering,” Mendoza said of Myers.
Mendoza, however, did say it would be difficult to do. With the way he’s been used in the bullpen and getting him stretched out to be a starter will take some time. The Mets hope they can do that in games, but that comes with its own potential pitfalls.
As the Mets skipper says, they may want to push Myers to 35-40 pitches during a game, but if he struggles or the Mets are trying to protect a lead, they may have to pull the plug on Myers sooner than they want.
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As for Myers, he told SNY’s Chelsea Janes on Friday that no one had approached him about replacing Holmes since the injury happened, but confirmed that he’s not stretched out enough that he can start.
“At the moment, I’m [not stretched out to where I could start]. Maybe 35, 40 pitches,” said Myers.
Myers last pitched in the Subway Series opener, where he tossed 25 pitches. The last time he’s thrown in the 35-40 pitch range was back on May 2, when he tossed 36 pitches across 2.2 innings. His season-high is 40 pitches (April 23).
“I don’t think there’s an ideal [way to stretch Myers out], to be honest with you,” Mendoza said when asked.
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So if Myers is the guy to take Holmes’ spot, it seems the process of stretching him out will be in the bigs.
Other options
Aside from Myers, the Mets have plenty of other in-organization options in the bigs and the minors.
When Kodai Senga or Sean Manaea‘s names were brought up, Mendoza said that Senga will not be in the mix for at least this turn through the order. Senga is in Florida and will throw a bullpen with multiple ups down in PSL.
Manaea is in a better spot than Senga, but the southpaw — like Myers — has been used in the bullpen. The 34-year-old is more stretched out, but hasn’t thrown more than 20 pitches in his last two appearances.
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“When you look at the usage and pitch count, how many pitches can we ask him?” Mendoza said of Manaea. “He’s also in the conversation. We saw a better outing from here the last time. Attacking hitters, getting swing and misses. Trusting the pitches in the strike zone.”
The legendary radio voice of the Mets, Howie Rose, asked Mendoza specifically whether Jonah Tong or Jack Wenninger are options and Mendoza didn’t dismiss the idea.
“Everything’s on the table here. All the names you mentioned are being discussed, but we don’t want to get too far ahead,” Mendoza said. “We still have to get through today, tomorrow…we’ll go from there.”
Tong and Wenninger pose interesting cases to be called up. Tong has big league experience last season, but he struggled then and has had an up-and-down season with Triple-A this year.
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Tong lasted just 1.2 innings and allowed seven runs (six earned) in his last start on Thursday. His ERA has ballooned to 5.68.
Wenninger, on the other hand, has been dominant. In seven Triple-A starts, he’s pitched to a 1.08 ERA and has not allowed a run in his last three starts (16.2 innings). He’s also allowed just seven hits. His control can be iffy (seven walks in his last three starts), but he has struck out 19 batters in that span.
After Freddy Peralta pitches Sunday, the Mets only have Christian Scott penciled in to make their start, which will be Monday. From there, anything is possible.
