A Clay Holmes showcase appeared to go according to plan.
The recovering Mets right-hander, who is likely to be used as trade bait by Monday, completed four scoreless innings with Low-A St. Lucie on Tuesday night in what was his second and likely final rehab start.
Holmes, who maxed out with a 94.1 mph sinker and allowed two hits while walking two and striking out three, might have thrown his final 59 pitches (37 strikes) in the Mets organization.
But not necessarily: It is also possible that he remains on regular rest and starts Sunday — one day before the deadline — for the Mets when they host the Marlins.
Doing so would run some risk for the Mets, who would not want to see Holmes get hammered or injured, but teams across the league would love a last glimpse at one of the expected prizes of the trade deadline, if he has not been moved by then.
Holmes has been one of the best moves of the David Stearns era, a reliever signed ahead of the 2025 season and converted into a starter who was promising last year (3.53 ERA in 33 games) and better this season (2.39 ERA in nine starts) before a Spencer Jones comebacker fractured his fibula in May.
It is possible the Mets extend Holmes by the deadline — not likely, with Holmes saying last week he didn’t think “there was a ton” of extension talk between the two sides — and it is also at least possible the Mets hold on to Holmes, which likely would lead to the club extending a qualifying offer after he expectedly opts out of his current deal.
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But the most likely scenario is the Mets will trade Holmes, who looked like himself Tuesday: Of the six outs he recorded through balls being put in play, all were ground outs.
