RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - AUGUST 05: Clay Holmes of the Chicago Cubs looks on against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Wrigley Field on August 05, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
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The Chicago Cubs made one of the biggest starting-pitching bets of the trade deadline when they acquired Clay Holmes from the New York Mets. The move was designed to give manager Craig Counsell another experienced arm for a rotation that could determine how far Chicago goes into the postseason.
Holmes had established himself as one of the Mets’ most dependable starters before a fractured right fibula sidelined him in May. He posted a 2.39 ERA through his first nine starts, making his injury and subsequent trade a particularly compelling storyline for the Cubs, who were betting on his ability to return from a serious injury.
And Holmes’ first appearance with Chicago was not particularly encouraging.
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As expected, Holmes looked rusty in his first major-league outing since the May 15 injury. While he had made three rehab starts with the Mets’ minor-league affiliates, his return against big league hitters on the road for the Cubs wasn’t ideal, as he allowed four runs in four innings and took the loss against the Kansas City Royals.
But after his second start for his new team went much better, he sent a warning that up-and-down starts were bound to come as he continues to recover.
“Coming back from injury, it’s always a process,” Holmes said, according to The Athletic’s Patrick Mooney . “I probably wasn’t as bad as my stat line last time, and I probably wasn’t as good as my one this time. It’s just one of those things where you have to keep finding ways to get better.”
That message matters because Chicago did not acquire Holmes simply to provide innings. The Cubs added him with the expectation that he could become a meaningful part of a postseason rotation after spending the first portion of his Mets tenure establishing himself as a legitimate starting pitcher.
Holmes' injury was particularly difficult because he had made a successful transition from the bullpen to the rotation. In 2025, he threw 165 2/3 innings for New York and won 12 games. Before his fibula fracture this season, he had already demonstrated that the role change was working.
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Holmes’ warning came after an encouraging performance at Wrigley Field following his away debut, which surely gives Cubs fans some reassurance that more of his future starts will resemble the good stat line.
Holmes gave the Cubs 6 2/3 scoreless innings with just the one hit allowed after his uneven debut. If the Cubs are going to make a deep playoff run, a resurgence from Holmes would offer a major boost. But he needs to continue building his workload, refining his command and rediscovering the consistency that made him valuable enough for Chicago to acquire him while trying to reinforce its rotation for October.
This article was originally published on Forbes.com
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