Clay Holmes does not have to wait long to get his first taste of life as a starting pitcher in a competitive setting as he will get the ball for the New York Mets’ spring training opener on Saturday (1:10 p.m. ET) against the Houston Astros, manager Carlos Mendoza confirmed.
New York’s skipper divulged that the 31-year-old right-hander will get “three ups” with a limit between 40 and 45 pitches.
Holmes signed a three-year, $38 million deal with the Mets this winter where he is transitioning from the Yankees’ closer to a starter across town in Queens.
For a reliever who threw 63 innings last season and has not thrown more than 70 innings during a single campaign over his seven-year pro career, Holmes has spent this offseason stretching out for a starter’s workload and is in the process of adding more pitches to what had been a limited arsenal.
“I feel like I’m in a great spot right now,” he told reporters on Wednesday. “I’m in a good position to really get the experience and be able to stretch out.”
Holmes has been at the Mets’ spring training complex in Port St. Lucie, FL for more than a month where he has catapulted ahead of schedule in terms of increasing his workload to eat more innings. He said during his December introductory press conference that he wanted to throw 160 innings in 2025.
On Feb. 12, the first official day of spring training, he threw three innings of live batting practice, much to the delight of Mendoza.
“The fact that on Day 1 of pitchers and catchers he’s already at three ups, that’s impressive,” Mendoza said. “You have to give him credit. That shows all the work that he did as soon as we signed him with the mindset that he was making that transition… He knew that he had to get here ready to go to face hitters… It was encouraging the fact that he had three ups, and he looks good.”
The progress made by Holmes leading up to spring training allows him and the Mets to spend the next five weeks leading into the 2025 season gradually building up his workload rather than expediting the process and increasing the chances of injury.
The Mets’ rotation is already in a shaky spot despite its self-proclaimed depth. Another new acquisition, Frankie Montas, has been shut down for six to eight weeks due to a high-grade lat strain and will be sidelined until at least late May.