Clay Holmes, staff ace?

Holmes was dominant for the second straight start on Thursday, and is showing early signs he could be a top-shelf starter

Linda Surovich

Feb 28, 2025

The Mets stopped their spring losing streak with a 5-0 win over the Astros (box | highlights)
INF Brett Baty hit his second home run of spring and went 1-for-3 with 2 RBIs
RHP Clay Holmes was dominant in his second start of Grapefruit League action. He allowed just one hit in three innings and struck out two
RHP Max Kranick struck out two in two perfect innings of work
1B Ryan Clifford - the prospect the Mets acquired for Justin Verlander in 2023 - went 1-for-2 with a HR and 2 RBI
The Mets signed RHP José Ureña to a minor league deal (MLB.com)
Sarah Seaver, the daughter of Tom Seaver, passed away after a long batter with cancer (Jay Horwitz)

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Injury Updates 🏥

INF Ronny Mauricio is running at around 80 percent following December, 2023 surgery to reconstruct the ACL in his knee (NY Post)

Today’s Game 🗓️

Match-up: Nationals (3-2) vs Mets (2-4)

Where: Clover Park - Port St. Lucie, FL

Starters: LHP Shinnosuke Ogasawara vs. RHP Brandon Sproat

When: 1:10 PM ET

Where to Watch: SNY

Clay Holmes has the potential to be the Mets ace this season ✍️

Clay Holmes made his second start of spring and again looked good as he transitions to a starter. So far in Grapefruit League action, he has struck out five in six innings and has yet to allow a run.

It is obviously early, but his stuff has looked nasty in both of his starts so far. His sweeper and slider are elite pitches, and he has added a cutter, which rounds out his arsenal. He also throws a sinker, four-seam fastball, and his new “kick” change-up, which he explains here.

He was an All-Star closer last year with the Yankees, albeit as a reliever, so it should come as no surprise that he is able to dominate over short outings, but the real test will be when he gets stretched out and pitches deeper into games. He also had an issue in the second half of the season last year. In the first half, he had a 2.77 ERA with 21 strikeouts in 39.0 IP. However, those numbers jumped in the second half of the season. He had a 3.75 ERA with 27 strikeouts in 24.0 IP.

Perhaps the Mets have unlocked something in Holmes as a starter, and he will get a fresh start like both Sean Manaea and Luis Severino in 2024. They were question marks heading into the season and ended up pitching phenomenally for the team, whereas Holmes is a little more established, again, albeit as a reliever.

Even so, with the rotation in flux due to the injuries of Manaea and Frankie Montas, the team will need Holmes to step up early on in the season. Which is a lot to ask given he is only now transitioning into a starting pitcher.

Kodai Senga is another question mark. When healthy, his ghost fork is one of the most devastating pitches in the league, but he has had only one full year in the majors, and last year was essentially a lost year to injury. He could easily reclaim his ace status at the top of the rotation, but there are a lot of IF’s surrounding that ascent for him and the Mets truthfully don’t really know what they have in him aside from someone with awesome stuff. If he can reclaim his ace status, that would be great news for the Mets, especially if Holmes can ascend as a top starter himself.

Just like Senga, the team will need to find a way to manage his workload since his arm is not used to the workload of a starter. They could still go with a six-man rotation even with the injuries, which would help keep him fresh. It all depends on whether or not Manaea gets back in mid-to-late April when expected and if everyone else can stay healthy.

Holmes has been an exciting development so far this spring, and hopefully, when the season begins, he can lead a rotation with tremendous potential when fully healthy.

Around the League 🚩

White Sox OF Andrew Benintendi is expected to miss 4-6 weeks with a non-displaced fracture of his right hand
Orioles SS Gunnar Henderson exited the game early with side discomfort after landing awkwardly on a play in the field
Diamondback relievers Thyago Vieira and Josh Winder both need Tommy John surgery and will be out for the year
Rangers 1B Jake Burger hit a home run in his first game back at camp after spending time with his 4-month-old daughter who was recovering from open heart surgery