Yankees' Clay Holmes Likely Headed to Injured List With Back Tightness

Holmes spoke after Tuesday night's 3-1 loss to the Rays at Yankee Stadium, opening up about discomfort in his back.

NEW YORK — The Yankees just can't seem to catch a break right now.

After yet another uninspiring loss on Tuesday night, their 11th in 13 games since the trade deadline, closer Clay Holmes revealed that he's been dealing with an issue in his back.

"Locked up on me a few days ago, tried to throw again today and it kind of tightened back up," Holmes said at his locker. "The smartest thing, the best way to go about it, was just try to maybe give it a break. We'll see. We'll play it smart, not try to push through something that maybe could be a lot worse."

No official moves were made on Tuesday night, but manager Aaron Boone concluded his postgame presser with news that a roster move to address New York's pitching staff is imminent.

In all likelihood, Holmes will be placed on the injured list ahead of Wednesday night's series finale against the Rays.

"Hopefully this is just a short little thing and we can nip it in the bud real quick," Holmes added.

Clay Holmes tells the media he's dealing with some back tightness: "Hopefully this is just a short little thing and we nip it in the bud real quick." pic.twitter.com/TqjGJndXuO

— YES Network (@YESNetwork) August 17, 2022

The right-hander began this season with an unprecedented stretch of dominance. Leapfrogging Aroldis Chapman to become New York's closer, Holmes didn't allow a run for 29 consecutive appearances, closing 16 games before traveling to his first All-Star Game.

Since then, however, Holmes has struggled mightily. The right-hander has a 6.35 ERA since the conclusion of his scoreless innings streak. He's allowed 11 earned runs (10.24 ERA) and blown three saves in his last 11 outings, dating back to July 12.

Holmes explained that as of now, he'll use rest and treatment to get through spasms and soreness in his back. There have been no tests done to this point either, he said.

"It's definitely frustrating," Holmes explained. "I think this is probably the smartest move and I think there's definitely gonna be another guy that can step up and I believe that whoever it is, we have full trust and we'll be playing our best baseball when we need to." 

If Holmes does land on the injured list, New York can promote reliever Ron Marinaccio who has been relegated to Triple-A recently. Marinaccio should've been in the big leagues this entire time. He had allowed one run over 22.2 innings before he was sent down on August 6.

Holmes would also join Giancarlo Stanton (Achilles), Luis Severino (lat strain), Harrison Bader (plantar fasciitis), Matt Carpenter (fractured foot) and more on the IL.

MORE:

• Report: Yankees to Call Estevan Florial Up From Triple-A
• Aaron Hicks Hits New Yankees Low With 'Embarrassing' Performance Against Rays
• Giancarlo Stanton Nears Return From Injured List After Full Workout at Yankee Stadium

Follow Max Goodman on Twitter (@MaxTGoodman), be sure to bookmark Inside The Pinstripes and check back daily for news, analysis and more.