Mets' Clay Holmes says surgery for fractured fibula an option - ESPN

NEW YORK — The thin silver lining for New York Mets pitcher Clay Holmes is that he most likely won't need surgery after fracturing his right fibula, but the right-hander is not completely ruling out the possibility.

«I don't think anything is off the table really right now,» Holmes said before Sunday's Subway Series finale against the New York Yankees. «I think we're still gathering opinions and whatnot. It doesn't look that way, but I think at this moment the training staff is still trying to gather as much as they can and see what's there. But like I said, it doesn't seem to be the case, but there's still some opinions being gathered on that.»

Holmes said any surgery would be to install reinforcement in the leg. It ultimately depends on how the bone heals, as it typically takes four to six weeks but could vary. Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said Holmes will not be cleared to begin a throwing progression until he is pain free and undergoes more imaging to ensure the bone is healed.

Holmes will need a spring-training-like buildup before returning.

«I know there's times where you put guys on one knee on a chair to kind of get the arm going,» Mendoza said. «I don't think that's going to be the case here.»

Holmes' setback lengthened the last-place Mets' already long injury list, which includes shortstop Francisco Lindor (calf), first baseman Jorge Polanco (Achilles/wrist), center fielder Luis Robert Jr. (back), catcher Francisco Alvarez (knee), infielder/outfielder Jared Young (knee), right-handed starter Kodai Senga (back), and left-handed reliever A.J. Minter (lat/hip).

Mendoza said the club will decide on Holmes' rotation replacement after Sunday's game. The options include moving Tobias Myers or Sean Manaea from the