Clay Holmes is “inching closer” to a rehab assignment with the Mets, Andy Green says

The Mets received a hopeful update on their bullpen picture Monday, with interim manager Andy Green saying closer Clay Holmes is “inching closer” to a rehab assignment. For a team that relies on its late-inning arms to stabilize tight games, the difference between waiting and actually starting a rehab clock is significant, because it turns an uncertain return into a timeline that can be measured by minor-league outings.

Green’s comments, as reported by Yahoo Sports, framed the next step as getting Holmes closer to “actual game action.” Rehab assignments in Major League Baseball are commonly used to rebuild game rhythm and arm strength before a player is reintroduced to the majors. While the Mets have not outlined a specific date in the information available here, the manager’s phrasing suggests they are moving through the final phase of preparation rather than restarting the process from an earlier stage.

Holmes, known primarily for high-leverage relief work, is a central piece of the role the Mets ask their best relievers to handle, particularly when the margin shrinks to one or two runs. That makes even incremental progress valuable. In late July, bullpen availability tends to shape how managers deploy their leverage arms, how many outs they can safely give to high-stress pitchers, and how often the club can avoid stretching other parts of the staff.

The “inching closer” label also matters because rehab plans can change based on how a pitcher responds from outing to outing. If Holmes progresses during a rehab stint, the Mets can potentially reduce the load on other relievers who have been asked to cover for extended innings or multiple appearances in a row. If anything interrupts the schedule, it can force the bullpen to absorb additional strain, which then affects the next series because pitch counts and bullpen availability are cumulative.

For fans, the immediate takeaway is operational: the Mets are closer to having Holmes back in a live-game setting, which is the prerequisite for a return to the active roster. For baseball evaluators, the bigger question becomes how Holmes looks once he gets those controlled innings. Stuff and command in rehab can foreshadow what a pitcher will be able to do against hitters in the majors, but managers still typically wait for consistent readiness before restoring a player to the highest-leverage assignments.

In the short term, the Mets’ attention will be on how Holmes progresses during the rehab portion of the return. The next developments to watch are whether the team moves from preliminary ramp-up to scheduled rehab appearances, how many innings Holmes is able to complete in those games, and whether the Mets can re-stabilize their late bullpen usage around his return. Even without a stated date, Green’s update indicates the organization is trending in the right direction.