Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Mets Make Big Change Before MLB Playoffs

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Gavin Groe | Last updated Sep 14, 2025 12:15 PM ET

The New York Mets have struggled in the month of September. They are in the midst of an eight-game losing streak and in danger of being swept by the Texas Rangers as well as losing the final NL wild card spot entering Sunday.

After once holding the best record in the league, the Mets' starting pitching struggles and inconsistent bullpen have led to a collapse with playoff baseball no longer a guarantee.

A huge reason for the rotation’s disappointment has been Sean Manaea, who has posted a 5.98 ERA over his last 10 starts in his second season in New York. Although his strikeout numbers show his pitches are still effective, the 33-year-old veteran has not limited hard contact.

With the Mets free-falling in the standings, manager Carlos Mendoza announced a big change before the series finale with Texas on Sunday. Mendoza spoke with media pregame and said, “Clay [Holmes] is going to start on Tuesday” against the San Diego Padres.

When asked about Manaea’s role following the change, he added, “Could be a chance that we could use a tandem and go piggyback there.”

Carlos Mendoza says that Clay Holmes will start on Tuesday and Sean Manaea could piggyback him out of the bullpen, depending on how today's game goes: pic.twitter.com/t0ONhU2rdh
— SNY (@SNYtv) September 14, 2025

Manaea was originally slotted to start on Tuesday with Holmes making the start Wednesday, but it appears that he may be shifting to a bullpen, or at least reduced role, now that he lost his spot in the rotation. After his last disastrous outing, Mendoza said Manaea would remain in the rotation, but with the team losing eight straight, he has made the move to try and stop the bleeding.

The move comes as a surprise, as Manaea signed a three-year, $75 million contract to remain with New York in the offseason after operating as the team’s ace in 2024. Now, that deal is shaping up to be one of the worst in the league.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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