Clay Holmes knew by the time he left Friday’s game in the top of the fifth that he likely had a fractured leg, having experienced a similar injury with the Pirates in the spring of 2020.

“I wasn’t too surprised when the X-rays showed it,’’ Holmes said Sunday as he stood in the Mets clubhouse with a boot on his right leg — a result of the 111 mph comebacker Spencer Jones got him with Friday that will sideline the right-hander for months with a fractured fibula.

Holmes said he’s been told surgery is unlikely, so his timeline for a return will be dictated largely by how quickly the bone heals. It’s typically a 4-6 week recovery for the fracture, and then he’ll have to be built back up.

“It’s tough from a personal standpoint because I felt I was in a good spot with my body and arm and it’s hard to stay healthy in this game,” Holmes said. “A freak accident that’s out of your control can be tough.”

Mets pitcher Clay Holmes (35) pitches in the first inning when the New York Mets played the New York Yankees Friday, May 15, 2026 at Citi Field in Queens, NY. Robert Sabo for NY Post

And it came in what’s been an injury-filled season in Queens.

“We hadn’t gotten off to the start we wanted and to see guys battling through it and coming together, you want to be in the fight with everyone,” Holmes said. “To be on the sideline, it will be tough to watch.’’

It’s another blow for the Mets, who are without Francisco Lindor (calf), Jorge Polanco (Achilles), Luis Robert Jr. (back), Francisco Alvarez (knee) and Kodai Senga (lumbar spine inflammation).

Losing Holmes is especially significant, since he was having a superb year in what’s been an inconsistent rotation.

Clay Holmes (35) has a trainer look at him during the fourth inning when the New York Mets played the New York Yankees Friday, May 15, 2026 at Citi Field in Queens, NY. Robert Sabo for NY Post

The Mets have Christian Scott starting Monday in Washington and Nolan McLean will start either Tuesday or Wednesday — with a decision to come for the day McLean isn’t on the mound.

A.J. Ewing’s hot start to his major league continued in Sunday’s 7-6, 10-inning win over the Yankees, as the center fielder singled, walked three times and scored a run.

He finished his afternoon by bunting over the winning run to third to open the bottom of the 10th.

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Ewing said he’d been working on his bunting in the minors this season, but his previous attempts “didn’t go as well” as Sunday.

As for his ability to get on base — which he’s done 12 times in his first six MLB games, the 21-year-old said: “I feel comfortable in the box. I think the batter’s box is kind of my happy place.”

Polanco, sidelined with left Achilles bursitis, likely won’t be at full strength the rest of the season, according to Carlos Mendoza.

Polanco has resumed some baseball activities and will travel with the team to Washington, but the manager said he’ll have to deal with the injury indefinitely.

“He’s gonna feel it,’’ Mendoza said. “We have to keep it to a point where [it’s] ‘I can tolerate this.’ Because if not, he’s gonna be shut down for a long period of time.”

It’s been an awful start for Polanco, who has been limited to 14 games while dealing with Achilles and wrist injuries. And he didn’t play well when he was on the field.

Asked if Polanco would be unable to get to full health this season, Mendoza said, “I don’t know if anyone is 100 percent [healthy on the team]. In this case, he’s gonna be feeling it. He’ll continue to get treatment and hope it goes away, but it’s probably something he’ll have to manage.”