Mets pitcher Clay Holmes is nearing a return to the mound after recovering from a fractured right fibula, but his future with the team remains uncertain with the Aug. 3 trade deadline looming.

Holmes, who has been sidelined for over two months, expressed that the situation presents a "unique scenario" as he approaches full health. "It’s different, for sure," Holmes said Friday during his first minor league rehab start for Triple-A Syracuse. "It’s just a unique scenario. I think the timing of just this injury, just the unforeseen kind of circumstances are with the team. I think all that together has just put together a very unique, weird scenario here."

He acknowledged the possibility of being traded before he is fully healed and ready to pitch again. "Sometimes it’s easy to let your mind wander, and there’s a lot of things out there that you can’t really control," he said. "You do know that there’ll be some impact on your future, but I think just as an athlete, especially me right now, I want to be pitching my best, whether that’s here or somewhere else these last two months."

Holmes indicated that extension talks with the Mets did not progress significantly. The 33-year-old pitcher has a player option for $12 million in 2027 and is widely expected to opt out for free agency this winter. Despite his injury, Holmes was considered one of the Mets' more effective pitchers, potentially making him a valuable trade asset.

Before sustaining the injury on May 15, Holmes posted a 2.39 ERA over 52 2/3 innings across nine starts. "I don’t know. We’ll see how this week goes," Holmes said when asked about the next steps in his rehabilitation. "We haven’t really had a ton of discussion about it yet, but there’s always that part of you that is like, ‘Man, I can pitch in a game. And feel like I can pitch in the big leagues.’ I think some of that’s just kind of how you’re wired as an athlete."

In his rehab start on Thursday, Holmes allowed two runs on three hits, issued two walks, and struck out two batters over 2 1/3 innings. He threw 51 pitches, 28 of which were strikes.

Holmes described the recovery process as seamless, stating he met all projected timelines without significant setbacks. "I think in this timeline of being back, around or before August 1, was definitely ambitious," he said. "And you know, here we are looking at it. I think just the plan that the training staff has put in place has been great. We’ve executed it really well, and the ankle’s responded really well."

He added that managing a non-throwing arm injury requires balancing the need to keep his arm ready with the demands on the rest of his body, particularly his ankle. "I think just the balance we’ve kept with that has been really good. So I’m really happy where I’m at and how I feel. Very thankful for that."