Clay Holmes will start on Mets’ Opening Day

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Clay Holmes, who struggled to such a degree last season that the Yankees removed him from his role as closer amid their playoff push, will be the Mets’ starting pitcher on Opening Day.

When the Mets begin the season March 27 against the Astros in Houston, Holmes will make his first start since he was a rookie with the Pirates in 2018.

That the Mets selected Holmes, signed over the offseason to a three-year, $38 million contract with the idea of trying to turn him into a starter, speaks to how well that transition has gone so far — an especially important development given the uncertain state of the Mets’ rotation overall.

“He earned it,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “We like what we’re seeing. I know it’s a small sample size here, but it’s very encouraging. He really put himself in a really good position — showed up here early in camp, he was ahead of everyone. It’s more the way he’s looked so far making that transition, we’re comfortable with him going on Opening Day.”

Holmes’ reaction to drawing that assignment, Mendoza said, was ”typical Clay Holmes.”

“He doesn’t get too high, he doesn’t get too low,” said Mendoza, who initially got to know Holmes when he was the Yankees’ bench coach through 2023. “I know it means something — it’s the Opening Day start. But knowing Clay, when he’s going really good, he’s the same guy. When it’s hard for him, he’s the same guy.”

Heading into his fourth Grapefruit League outing Saturday, Holmes has tossed 9 2/3 scoreless innings with 13 strikeouts (to four walks).

“I don’t know if we can put too much on the results in spring training, but the characteristics of his pitches, the metrics, how he is feeling, the workload and things like that [are encouraging],” Mendoza said.

Kodai Senga was not a consideration because he “won’t be ready” for the first game, Mendoza said. But the Mets do expect him to start one of the initial five games against the Astros or Marlins.

With Senga considered infeasible and Sean Manaea out at least a few weeks into the season because of a strained right oblique, the Mets didn’t have any obvious choices to pitch Opening Day.

The rotation is set to include Holmes, Senga, David Peterson and two of Griffin Canning, Paul Blackburn and Tylor Megill.

That Holmes is emerging as a potentially legitimate starter — with the help of a new changeup and cutter to go with his usual sinker/slider/sweeper combo — is encouraging for the Mets.

“Super important because we got guys going down early in camp,” Mendoza said. “So proud of him.”