Holmes' second rehab start doubles as Trade Deadline showcase

NEW YORK -- Clay Holmes appears primed for a return to Major League action. The only question is whether his next start will be with the Mets, or someone else.

With scouts from the White Sox, Rays, Rangers, Diamondbacks and multiple others in attendance, Holmes stretched out to 59 pitches in his second rehab start Tuesday evening for Single-A St. Lucie, setting him up to throw 75 or so in five days’ time. That’s enough for a team to feel comfortable using him in a big league game.

But Holmes, who can opt out of the final year and $12 million on his contract to become a free agent after the season, is highly likely to be traded before the Aug. 3 Deadline. As such, his rehab outing was a showcase for contenders looking to see how he’s bounced back from the fractured right fibula he suffered in May.

How did he perform?

Holmes threw four shutout innings with three strikeouts against Single-A Dunedin, allowing two hits and two walks. He dialed his sinker up to 94.1 mph in the game, throwing all five of his pitches.

Holmes had been set to make this start in the upper Minors, but rain throughout the Northeast prompted the Mets to change their plans and send him to Florida instead.

What’s next?

Though the Mets haven’t announced any next steps for Holmes, team officials have indicated the right-hander should be ready to return to the Majors following Tuesday’s start. Holmes would line up to start again on Aug. 2 -- one day before the Trade Deadline.

It remains to be seen if the Mets will use that start as another showcase, or hold Holmes back to ensure his health ahead of the Deadline. They could also simply trade him before the date in question.

What are they saying?

“There’s always that part of you that’s like, ‘Man, I could pitch in a game. I feel like I can pitch in the big leagues,’” Holmes said after his first rehab start last week. “I think some of that is just how you’re wired as an athlete. So we’ll just see where we’re at, seek everybody’s opinion. But I feel good. I feel ready to compete. I feel I can compete anywhere.”

What else?

Despite reports of Holmes’ interest in a contract extension, the right-hander said recently that he and team officials haven’t negotiated to that end. A trade remains far more likely, according to sources with knowledge of the situation.

“I’ve stated how I feel about the Mets, just grateful for the opportunity here and guys in this clubhouse, getting to play with them and what this organization is,” Holmes said. “A lot of that is just out of my control at this point. As a player, you want to leave this place better than you found it. What that looks like, I don’t really know. But I have to do all I can to make sure that, no matter what happens, hopefully things are better here when I leave -- whenever that is.”