Holmes' Rehab Stint: A Step Closer to Return

Mets pitcher Clay Holmes took the mound on Thursday night for his initial rehab start with Triple-A Syracuse, aiming to build back up his arm strength.

Holmes was originally slated to pitch approximately three innings. He concluded his outing after 2.1 innings, throwing 51 pitches. During his time on the mound, he permitted two earned runs on three hits and issued two walks, while recording two strikeouts.

His performance saw a clean first inning with two strikeouts, but the second inning proved more challenging with a leadoff double and a walk. Despite the traffic, he limited damage before allowing the game's first run via a sacrifice fly. The third inning saw Holmes give up a walk and two singles, leading to another run, before exiting the game.

Tobias Myers relieved Holmes and effectively ended the inning by striking out the next two batters. The current expectation is that Holmes will need one additional rehab start, potentially on July 28, before he can be activated by the Mets.