Clay Holmes strikes out Spencer Jones in Triple-A rehab return

Clay Holmes struck out Spencer Jones in Triple-A Syracuse, turning a rehab outing into an odd reunion with the hitter whose 111.1 mph line drive fractured Holmes’ right fibula in the Subway Series opener at Citi Field. The moment gave Holmes a measure of competitive closure after the play that hit him just above the right foot and knocked him out for an extended stretch.

The matchup carried extra weight because Holmes and Jones know each other well beyond that swing. They work out together in Nashville, and Jones texted Holmes after the injury to apologize, calling him a friend. That made the first meeting between them since May feel less like a cold minor league assignment and more like two players whose paths had already crossed long before a rehab game brought them back together.

Holmes’ first rehab start for Triple-A Syracuse delivered the more important read on his recovery. He was scheduled to throw about three innings and got through 2.1 innings, allowing two runs on three hits and two walks while striking out two over 51 pitches, 28 of them strikes. The workload came close to the plan, and the innings total suggested the leg held up under game action after the fractured fibula.

The line was not spotless, and that matters. Two walks in 51 pitches pointed to command that is still sharpening, while the two runs showed he is not fully back to the level he reached before the injury. But the outing still checked the bigger boxes for the Mets: Holmes took the ball, reached nearly three innings, and missed bats while handling a meaningful pitch count without any obvious interruption to the comeback.

For a pitcher coming back from a broken leg, that is the kind of rehab line that matters most. Holmes’ stuff still produced strikeouts, his command was usable if not crisp, and his body handled the workload well enough to keep him moving toward the Mets’ next decision on his return. Seeing Jones in the batter’s box, then striking him out, only sharpened the sense that the story had come full circle.