Clay Holmes appears rusty in Cubs debut against Royals

Clay Holmes. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Clay Holmes appears rusty in Cubs debut against Royals

By Andrew Wright | Last updated Aug 8, 2026 8:55 PM ET

The Chicago Cubs entered their weekend series against the Kansas City Royals with high expectations for the team debuts of right-handers Kevin Gausman and Clay Holmes.

Gausman very well held up his end of the bargain with a stellar performance in Friday's win. Holmes, though, was nearly the polar opposite in his outing on Saturday.

Clay Holmes looked very rusty

Holmes was making his first MLB start since May 15 when he suffered a fractured fibula. It was certainly not the return start he'd hoped for, especially in his debut with Chicago.

Holmes labored through four innings, allowing four runs on six hits, walking two batters and striking out just one.

The four innings for Holmes were his fewest in a start since August of 2025, and the one strikeout was tied for the fewest in any start of his career.

Gotta believe there’s better days ahead for Clay Holmes who just returned from injury and made his first start for the Cubs pic.twitter.com/fAjNWH4DnN
— Pitch Profiler (@pitchprofiler) August 9, 2026

Looking ahead to Holmes' next start

On normal rest, Holmes' spot in the rotation won't come back around until the Cubs' weekend series against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Holmes made his season debut against St. Louis on May 20, going 5 2/3 innings and allowing just two runs while striking out five batters. Holmes enjoyed success against the Cardinals in 2025 as well, posting a 3.00 ERA across two starts and 12 innings.

It will be an excellent opportunity for Holmes to bounce back from a shaky first start with Chicago and show what he's capable of for the remainder of the season.

Andrew Wright

Andrew "Dew" Wright graduated from Charleston Southern University with a degree in Communication Studies. He is a lifelong Chicago Cubs and Washington Commanders fan.

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