Who Will Replace Clay Holmes in the Mets’ Rotation?

Clay Holmes was off to a roaring start for the New York Mets in 2026 before he suffered an unexpected right fibula fracture on Friday Night. Holmes was the recipient of a 111.1 MPH line drive off the bat of Spencer Jones that drilled his right leg, fracturing the fibula.

The veteran right-hander was well on his way to being selected to his third career All-Star game this summer, pitching to a 2.39 ERA and accumulating 1.1 fWAR in just nine starts.

In his second full season since transitioning into a starting pitcher with New York, Holmes was beginning to put it all together.

The early news on Holmes’ recovery is positive, with the hope being that he will return to the mound this season. It is still too early to tell when that might be, and if it does happen, it probably won’t take place until the last month of the season.

Until then, New York will have to fill the hole left behind in Holmes’ absence. In the short-term, top prospect Zach Thornton is getting called up to pitch in Holmes’ place tomorrow, but that could only be for a spot start.

Moving forward, let’s review some internal candidates who could be making starts for the Mets in the coming weeks and months.

1. Tobias Myers

The best pitcher currently on New York’s roster to fill the vacant rotation spot is 27-year-old Tobias Myers. This season, Myers has pitched to a 3.41 ERA across 29 innings in a long relief role.

The right-hander has previous experience as a starter, making a combined 31 starts on the hill for the Milwaukee Brewers over the past two seasons.

Myers is the most MLB-ready option for the Mets. However, he may be too valuable in the bullpen for New York to move him into the rotation. Myers has been a Swiss Army Knife in Carlos Mendoza‘s bullpen, having been used as an opener, a multi-inning specialist, and he has even been used in high-leverage situations, picking up his first career save earlier this season.

Relying solely on Devin Williams, Luke Weaver and Brooks Raley will not be enough. The Mets need another high-leverage bullpen arm they can trust, and Myers very well may be that solution, making a move to the rotation less likely.

On top of that, the former sixth-round pick would need to be stretched out before joining the rotation. Myers has yet to throw more than 40 pitches in an outing all season.

2. Jonah Tong

The only other option on this list with major league experience is Jonah Tong. New York rushed the 22-year-old to the show after just two Triple-A starts last season in a desperate attempt to save their floundering season.

It became evident during Tong’s cup of coffee in the majors last year that he was not ready for the big league level and still needed more experience in the minors. Through his first 38 innings with Triple-A Syracuse in 2026, Tong has posted a 5.68 ERA.

Tong has excelled at generating strikeouts this season, retiring hitters that way 32.9% of the time. However, his inability to further develop secondary pitches behind his electric fastball continues to be an issue.

The Mets’ plan entering the season was for Tong to remain in Triple-A and continue working on his pitch arsenal. A scenario like this, with a key piece of New York’s rotation injured, would typically present a prime opportunity for Tong. Instead, his struggles in the minors have made it unlikely that he will earn the call.

The Mets understand that the “Canadian Cannon” still needs more seasoning in the minor leagues before he is ready to make a long-term impact at the major league level.

3. Jack Wenninger

Jack Wenninger, 24, has gotten off to a roaring start in 2026 at the Triple-A level, posting a 1.51 ERA across his first eight starts of the season.

In his most recent start Sunday, the right-hander was pulled after just 2 1/3 innings, being charged with two earned runs. Wenniger lost control of the strike zone in that outing, throwing just 28 of his 61 pitches for strikes.

Wenninger walked four batters in the abbreviated outing and has issued walks to 14.7% of the hitters he has faced in Triple-A this season. Despite the sparkling ERA, his 3.89 FIP suggests there may be some luck involved in his early-season success.

That is not to discount Wenninger’s early 2026 success, but he may not be the safest option for the Mets at this point in time.

4. Zach Thornton

The final prospect option for the Mets is the one who is getting the first nod, and that is southpaw Zach Thornton. The 24-year-old was in Triple-A rotation alongside Tong and Wenninger, having made two starts in Syracuse after his first five came in Double-A.

Thornton has posted a 3.16 ERA in 37 innings between Double-A and Triple-A in 2026.

Thornton’s biggest strength is his ability to limit walks, as he has walked just 7.9% of hitters this season. Due to his ability to pound the strike zone and the fact that the Nationals have a very lefty-heavy lineup, the Mets brass felt this was a good matchup for Thornton.

Only time will tell if this is a long-term solution for the Mets, or simply a spot start, Thornton is going to be the first to get an opportunity. If he makes the most of it, there is every chance he could stick in the rotation, instead of getting the quick trip down to Syracuse to grab a fresh arm.

5. Sean Manaea

This season, Sean Manaea has been working out of the bullpen as a long man, as the Mets clearly did not believe his stuff was good enough to survive out of the rotation. The results out of the pen have been underwhelming to say the least, as Manaea has pitched to a 6.26 ERA.

Manaea’s velocity being down has been one of the bigger talking points for the left-hander in the early going, but on Sunday, we did see some improvements in that department.

After sitting at 89.9 MPH on his fastball all season, Manaea averaged 91.6 MPH on Sunday, and he touched 94.

Considering the state of the Mets’ rotation, there may be an appetite from the front office to see what it looks like from Manaea to start, as he is still owed around $43 million over the next two seasons.

Manaea could start on Friday or Saturday in Miami against the Marlins, giving the Mets’ young starters Christian Scott and Nolan McLean an extra day’s rest, as they are in a stretch where they are playing 16 games in 16 days.

6. Kodai Senga

When the Mets broke camp after spring training, there was a lot of optimism surrounding Kodai Senga and what he could bring to the Mets’ rotation in 2026. In his first start, Senga was sitting at 99 MPH with his fastball, struck out nine, and gave up just two runs over six innings pitched.

In his second time out, Senga came just one out away from another quality start, giving up just two runs over 5 2/3 innings pitched with seven strikeouts.

Over his next three outings after that, Senga would watch his 3.09 ERA triple to 9.00 flat, as he gave up 17 runs over 8 1/3 innings pitched, walking 10 and striking out just 14. Senga would later hit the IL with lumbar spine inflammation, a move that made way for Christian Scott to join the rotation.

The latest report on Senga came from Carlos Mendoza, as the Mets manager told the media prior to Monday’s game that Senga had just thrown a 46-pitch live bullpen, pitching three innings against Mets minor leaguers. He touched 96 MPH with his fastball, which was a good sign.

Considering how up and down Senga has been over the past two seasons, the Mets won’t rush him back and may very well allow him to take the full 30 days once they put him on a rehab assignment to make sure they like what they are seeing before putting him back in regular competition.

Still, barring any setbacks, it is reasonable to think that Senga could be an option for the Mets at some point in June.

Who Will Truly Be the Clay Holmes Replacement?

The New York Mets have a plethora of options to replace Holmes in their starting rotation, and it will likely be a patchwork back-end of the rotation for the foreseeable future, with Thornton getting the first shot this week, but Wenniger and Tong both being in play for future spot starts.

The Mets may lean on bullpen games with long men Huascar Brazoban and Tobias Myers available to pitch as openers, and there is always the chance that the high-paid Manaea or Senga figures things out.

Luckily, the Mets can mix and match until they find the right combination, and if they make a run this year, there is always a chance that Holmes himself can be an option down the stretch.