An NFL team has submitted a rule proposal to ban the "tush push" quarterback sneak, Troy Vincent, the NFL's executive vice president of football operations, told reporters at the scouting combine Monday.

Vincent did not identify the team that made the proposal when he made his comments -- during a break in meetings between the NFL officials and the competition committee -- to The Washington Post and NFL Network.

NFL owners could vote on the proposal next month at the spring owners' meeting in Palm Beach, Florida, unless the team decides to withdraw its proposal. If the proposal goes to a vote, 24 of the NFL's 32 owners would have to vote in favor for it to pass. Teams submit rule proposals each year, and those, along with proposals submitted by the competition committee, are then put up for vote by the owners.

"We do have a club playing-rule proposal around the tush push," Vincent said, according to the Post. "It's the way they deemed it, the tush push. ... It's on our agenda. The club proposal is, 'We need to make some adjustments to that. Is that a viable football play?"

The play has been examined by the NFL and the competition committee in previous offseasons, but no action has been taken.

The Philadelphia Eagles and Buffalo Bills have combined to run 163 tush pushes, in which a team lines up one or more players behind the quarterback to push him forward against the defense, the past three seasons -- more than the rest of the NFL combined, according to ESPN Research.

The Eagles and Bills have scored a touchdown or achieved a first down on 87% of their attempts using the play, while the rest of the NFL has been successful on just 71%, per ESPN Research.

Despite his team's success with the play, Bills coach Sean McDermott shared his reservations about the safety of it during his combine availability Monday.

"To me, there's always been an injury risk with that play, and I've expressed that opinion for the last couple of years or so when it really started to come into play the way it's being used, especially a year ago," McDermott, who is a member of the competition committee, said. "So, I just feel like, player safety, and the health and safety of our players has to be at the top of our game, which it is. It's just that play to me has always been ... or the way that the techniques that are used with that play, to me have been potentially contrary to the health and safety of the players. And so again, you have to go back though in fairness to the injury data on the play, but I just think the optics of it, I'm not in love with."

Asked by ESPN how he balances running the play while also prioritizing player safety, McDermott said, "We do it a little bit different than other teams. One team in particular, who does it a certain way, that's the one that is really, there's just so much force behind that player, but yeah, you try and keep ... not try, you make No. 1 always everything we do, fundamentals, what we teach technique, in this case, what we ask our players to do, health and safety No. 1."

Jalen Hurts and the Eagles, whose QB sneak play has been dubbed the "Brotherly Shove," scored their first touchdown in Super Bowl LIX using the play.

And in the NFC Championship Game, Washington Commanders linebacker Frankie Luvu twice was flagged for an offsides penalty after jumping over the Eagles' line to try to stop the play, prompting referee Shawn Hochuli to announce that he would award Philadelphia a touchdown if Luvu was flagged a third time.

In New Orleans, before the Super Bowl, Eagles coach Nick Sirianni noted that "the success that we have is not replicated always throughout the entire league" and added, "I'm lobbying to never change that rule just because we're successful at it."

"Hip drop and the tush push were in the same conversation three years ago," Vincent said, according to NFL Network. "A year ago, we felt like, let's just focus in on the hip-drop tackle, and the tush push, just say, 'hey, the Philadelphia Eagles, they just do it better than everybody else.' But there are some concerns. Our health and safety committee has laid that out today with a brief conversation on the injury report. There's some challenges, some concerns that they'll share with the broader group tomorrow. But the tush push will become a topic of discussion moving into March."

ESPN's Alaina Getzenberg contributed to this report.

MINNEAPOLIS -- The short-handed Minnesota Timberwolves had their rotation thinned further when guard Jaylen Clark left their game against the Oklahoma City Thunder because of neck pain from an awkward fall on the court in the third quarter Sunday night.

Clark got a steal and attacked the basket for an off-balance layup attempt against Oklahoma City 7-footer Isaiah Hartenstein before he landed on his back and banged his head on the floor while his neck jerked backward. Clark was down for a while before being slowly helped up and guided to the locker room. The Timberwolves eventually ruled him out for the remainder of Minnesota's 130-123 loss.

The 6-foot-4 Clark, a second-round draft pick out of UCLA in 2023 who didn't play as a rookie while he recovered from a torn Achilles tendon, got his second career start Sunday night in a small-ball lineup for the Wolves. He had 14 points in 18 minutes.

Minnesota led 85-78 when Clark departed and was outscored 25-11 over the rest of the third quarter. Coach Chris Finch had no update on Clark's condition after the game. The Wolves play at Oklahoma City on Monday night.

The Wolves were again missing their starting frontcourt, Rudy Gobert (back) and Julius Randle (groin), and key reserve Donte DiVincenzo (toe).

Al Trautwig, one of the most recognizable sports broadcasters in New York and a fixture at numerous international sporting events for more than three decades, has died. He was 68.

Trautwig's son, Alex, told The Associated Press his father died Sunday at his home on Long Island from complications of cancer.

Trautwig was part of MSG pre- and postgame broadcasts of the NBA's Knicks, NHL's Rangers and Major League Baseball's Yankees. He also worked 16 Olympics, the Indianapolis 500, the Tour de France and the US Open tennis tournament and won four national Emmy Awards and more than 30 in New York.

"Al was a staple on MSG Networks' Knicks, Rangers and Yankees coverage for more than 30 years, and his passion for the teams he covered was undeniable," MSG said in a statement. "He leaves behind one of the great legacies in New York sports broadcasting history. Our thoughts and prayers are with Al's family and friends."

For many fans watching games on TV in New York, Trautwig's voice was often the first they heard. With a natural storytelling style, he used his pregame introductions to make big games at Madison Square Garden or Yankee Stadium feel even bigger, while rarely needing to raise the level of his voice.

MSG Networks studio analyst Alan Hahn, who called Trautwig a friend, mentor and a career resource of support, said the accomplished sportscaster "was a skilled host who knew how to make every game feel like something you don't want to miss."

"We lost a legendary voice in sports. But we lost a lot more than that," Hahn wrote in a series of social media posts. "Al Trautwig had an amazing voice and knew how to use it the way a tenor could bring depth and intensity to a song. ... He loved sports and had incredible versatility from baseball to basketball and hockey. And that's not even counting his incredible work at the Olympics."

SAN FRANCISCO -- With his family and former teammates such as Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson on hand, Andre Iguodala was honored Sunday by the Golden State Warriors as the franchise raised his No. 9 jersey to the rafters at the Chase Center.

Iguodala became only the seventh Warriors player to have his jersey retired, joining Wilt Chamberlain (No. 13), Chris Mullin (No. 17), Nate Thurmond (No. 42), Alvin Attles (No. 16), Rick Barry (No. 24) and Tom Meschery (No. 14).

Iguodala spent much of his retirement ceremony speech thanking behind-the-scenes staff members of the Warriors organization, and his gratitude extended to fans and teammates.

"None of this would have happened without all of you, the fans," he said.

"We haven't really had time to reflect, Steph, you made the world turn. That is not something you say lightly. You truly changed the game of basketball. It was beautiful. ... I understood my role. I understood the genius of Draymond [Green], the genius of Klay, the genius of Kevin Durant. ... Shaun Livingston and I ... we had this unique team that understood, had this precious ultra-talented assassin. Steph, none of this happens without you."

The versatile forward, who was one of the Warriors' most significant acquisitions in franchise history in 2013 and sacrificed by coming off the bench, is the first from the four-championship Golden State dynasty core to have his jersey retired. Curry, Thompson and Green will certainly join Iguodala once they retire. And Durant, who won two titles and two Finals MVPs with Golden State, is expected to receive the honor as well.

Curry called it "weird and surreal" to see Iguodala be the first from the championship core to be honored. Curry also said Iguodala's decision to join the Warriors and add his basketball IQ was a pivotal moment for the franchise and helped turn a contender into a dynasty.

"Since you left that locker room, it has been hard to fill that void," Curry said. "But you also left me with the title of oldest Warrior. ... When we see that jersey up in the rafters, deservedly so, it just sinks in that we are old."

Iguodala helped Golden State win titles in 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2022. The 6-foot-6 swingman won Finals MVP in 2015, averaging 16.3 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.0 assists in the six-game Finals win. He was inserted into the starting lineup after Golden State trailed 2-1 in the series to the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the Warriors won three straight games.

He averaged 6.9 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 26.0 minutes over eight seasons (2013-19, 2021-23).

"I think we all can feel it but this isn't just about a number going into the rafters," Curry said. "This is about a player who changed the course of our entire franchise. ... You were the first one to choose us, and that meant the world. For a team that knew we were good but didn't know how to get to that next level, you unlocked so much confidence, so much IQ, so much maturity to what we did.

"You sacrificed ego for excellence, which for us is the Warriors way."

On a day when the Warriors celebrated their previous championships, they also had Jimmy Butler make his home debut and kept things rolling with their newest star.

The Warriors routed the Dallas Mavericks 126-102 on Sunday. Butler has helped Golden State begin to turn around its season, with the Warriors improving to 5-1 with the forward in the lineup. Four of the wins have come in blowout fashion. The Warriors (30-27) have won three straight for the first time since Nov. 15.

Curry led the Warriors with 30 points and seven assists. Butler scored 18 points and had five assists but his impact has gone beyond statistics. Butler's presence has rejuvenated Curry, Green and coach Steve Kerr, and the team looks vastly different from the one that struggled before the trade. Golden State is two games back in the loss column of the sixth-place LA Clippers. The Warriors say sixth, which avoids the play-in, is their goal with 25 games remaining in the season.

"The game feels easier for us right now," Kerr said. "Jimmy, the game makes sense when he is out there. He gets to the line. He makes plays. ... You can feel the difference for sure."

After the win, the Warriors held their ceremony for Iguodala with representatives of the six Warriors legends who already had their jerseys retired in attendance. In addition to current players, former teammates such as Livingston were there, as well as Rob Pelinka, Iguodala's former agent and the Los Angeles Lakers' general manager. Thompson and Mavericks GM Nico Harrison stayed to attend the celebration. Former Warriors GM Bob Myers spoke at the ceremony after calling the game for ESPN.

The team also showed congratulatory video messages from Durant, who received an ovation from the fans when his message appeared on the big screen; Clippers All-Star James Harden; Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra; former Warriors assistant coach Luke Walton; and fellow Arizona standouts such as Richard Jefferson and Channing Frye.

"I had the opportunity to kind of help those guys as they were younger coming into their own," Iguodala said about the Warriors when he joined them. "But then also, it's rare, I think, in professional sports to see a guy that's kinda still in his prime and kinda take a back seat or actually willingly move out the way for the up-and-coming guys. Steph, it wasn't that hard to move out the way. Klay too, Draymond too, so it was just a great, unique situation. It's actually funny that you start to celebrate it while it's kind of still going on. Those guys are still on the court, still playing very well.

"It worked out perfectly with Klay being able to be here. ... I don't know if you're ever really able to appreciate what you've done because you're still in it, and my life right now is like I'm still in it, it's even more busy, so hopefully get a chance to properly reflect, but just that competitive nature and spirit. You never really get a chance to appreciate your accomplishments."

PHILADELPHIA -- After Joel Embiid was ruled out for Monday's game against the Chicago Bulls following the completion of imaging on his troublesome left knee, 76ers coach Nick Nurse said that the superstar center will continue being looked at on Tuesday as both sides determine what the next steps will be.

"He did have some testing earlier today, which ruled him out for tonight's game," Nurse said during his pregame media availability. "There's still further testing tonight even yet today and continuing tomorrow, and that's where we are."

Nurse did, however, say that he and the 76ers aren't ready to say Embiid's season is over.

"Not at that point at all," he said. "Just, again, we are playing and testing and trying to figure it out and go from there."

Embiid was at Monday's shootaround, sources said, and had been questionable with left knee injury management before going to get imaging done. His left knee has been a constant issue all season and for large portions of last year -- particularly after Jonathan Kuminga accidentally fell on it in a game in Golden State on Jan. 30, 2024.

Embiid has been openly frustrated about the lack of progress he's seen with the knee, which hasn't responded in the way he and the team had hoped. After last Thursday's blowout loss to the Boston Celtics, Embiid said he would need to "fix the problem" in his knee to return to the elite level he's shown in the past, including winning the 2023 NBA's Most Valuable Player award and averaging more points than minutes played last season before the injury -- something no one has done over a full season besides Wilt Chamberlain 60 years ago.

Then, in Saturday's last-second loss to the Brooklyn Nets, Embiid didn't play in the fourth quarter and declined to comment on his health after appearing to tweak his knee in the third quarter. When Nurse was asked after the game why Embiid didn't play in the fourth, he said, "[The group on the court] had a good feel for the game at that point. Just wanted to let them roll with it."

Embiid is averaging 23.8 points, 8.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game while shooting 44.4% overall and 29.9% from 3-point range -- both career-lows.

The 30-year-old, who turns 31 next month, signed a long-term contract extension in September that tied him to the franchise through the 2028-29 season, when he has a player option for $69 million. All told, Embiid has up to four years and $248.1 million remaining on his deal after this season.

The 7-time All-Star and 5-time All-NBA selection came back from a procedure on his knee last February to play against the New York Knicks in the first round of the playoffs, a series Philadelphia lost in six games, before going on to win the gold medal with the U.S. Men's National Team at the Paris Olympic Games.

After participating in the Olympics, the expectation was Embiid would be ready for the start of training camp and the season. But that wound up not being the case as he didn't make his season debut until Nov. 12 against the Knicks. He played on and off for the next two months before sitting out for an entire month with both a foot sprain and the ongoing issues with his left knee.

Embiid then returned for a win over the Dallas Mavericks on Feb. 4 -- the last game, entering Monday night's contest, that Philadelphia had won. Since then, the 76ers have lost seven straight games, with Embiid playing in five of them.

"It is disappointing and it certainly has been disappointing, there's no question about it," Nurse said of how things have played out for both Embiid and the 76ers this season. "I don't think anybody envisioned it going like this. ... [Embiid] wants to play, we want him to play, our best version of our team is with him playing and getting to where we want to go and it hasn't worked out like that, yet."

In addition to Embiid, Tyrese Maxey was also questionable for Monday night's game with a finger issue, while Eric Gordon (wrist) and Kyle Lowry (hip) remain out. Paul George, meanwhile, has admitted he has been getting injections to deal with his own health issues in recent weeks.

Including Monday's game, Embiid has missed two-thirds of Philadelphia's games this season, playing in 19 of 57 contests, while the trio of Embiid, Maxey and George has appeared in 15 games together, with Philadelphia going 7-8 in them.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Justin Verlander struck out one and allowed a solo home run while pitching two innings in his spring training debut for the San Francisco Giants on Monday.

Verlander's first start of the spring came four days after the three-time Cy Young Award winner's 42nd birthday.

After allowing the two-out homer to Colorado's Michael Toglia in the first inning, Verlander walked the next batter before retiring the last four he faced. All three Rockies hitters in the second were retired on fly balls.

Verlander's 262 career wins are the most among active pitchers. The right-hander is preparing for his 20th big league season and his first with San Francisco after an injury-plagued 2024 in Houston. He signed a $15 million, one-year contract with the Giants.

Shoulder inflammation and neck discomfort limited Verlander to 17 starts last season, when he went 5-6 with a 5.48 ERA -- a single-season worst that was more than two runs higher than his 3.30 career ERA.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

LAKELAND, Fla. -- Free agent reliever Andrew Chafin signed a minor league deal Monday to go to spring training with the Detroit Tigers, the team that traded the left-hander to Texas last summer.

Chafin has pitched in 105 games for the Tigers over two stints -- 64 games in 2022 and 41 last year before being dealt to Texas for two minor leaguers in July. It was the fourth time in five seasons he was part of a deadline trade.

Texas in November declined a $6.5 million team option for Chafin, who instead got a $500,000 buyout. He had a 4.19 ERA while pitching 19 innings in 21 appearances for the Rangers, after a 3.16 ERA with 50 strikeouts over 37 innings for the Tigers.

The 34-year-old Chafin has a 3.75 ERA in 601 big league appearances over 11 seasons for six teams. The only team he has pitched more for than Detroit is Arizona, the club that picked him 43rd overall in the 2011 amateur draft. He made 377 relief appearances and started three games for the Diamondbacks over parts of eight seasons.

Chafin made his debut with the Diamondbacks in 2014, and they traded him to the Chicago Cubs in 2020. He returned to Arizona as a free agent in 2023 and was traded that summer to Milwaukee. He also pitched for Oakland during part of the 2021 season.

Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton has returned to New York to undergo medical testing, multiple outlets reported Monday.

Stanton, 35, has yet to take part in spring training activities in Tampa, Fla., as he continues to battle tendinitis in both elbows. The New York Post said Monday that it was unclear whether the medical testing was for an evaluation of his elbows.

On Sunday, manager Aaron Boone told reporters that Stanton was undergoing treatment and "nothing imminent" was on tap for the designated hitter, baseball-wise.

The Yankees haven't been pushing Stanton this spring, giving him time to rest and, hopefully, recover.

The MVP of the 2024 American League Championship Series, Stanton was bothered by deep soreness in his elbows for much of last season. He hit 27 home runs and drove in 72 runs over 114 games in the regular season.

Stanton had seven homers and 16 RBIs in 55 postseason at-bats as the Yankees reached the World Series before losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers in five games. Stanton went deep twice in the Fall Classic to follow up his four-homer showing against the Cleveland Guardians in the ALCS.

Stanton is entering his 16th major league season -- the first eight coming with the Miami Marlins before he was traded to the Yankees prior to the 2018 season. He has 429 homers and 1,103 RBIs along with a .257 average in 1,649 career games.

Stanton is a five-time All-Star and he was the National League MVP in 2017 when he established career highs of 59 homers and 132 RBIs for Miami.

He has three seasons remaining on a 13-year, $325 million deal he signed with the Marlins. The Yankees hold a club option for 2028.

CLEVELAND -- Lawrence J. Dolan, owner of Cleveland's major league baseball team since 2000, has died at age 94.

The Cleveland Guardians put out a statement Monday saying Dolan died Sunday night of natural causes.

"Mr. Dolan invested his entire life in Greater Cleveland and impacted our community on so many levels," Bob DiBiasio, Guardians senior vice president of public affairs, said in a statement. "From his service to our country as a First Lieutenant in the United States Marines, his many philanthropic acts of kindness, career in law, business, education, and sports, many benefited from his engagement, influence, and passion. Especially in the world of sports."

Dolan, a Cleveland native, purchased the team from Richard Jacobs in 2000 for $320 million. The Dolan family has a 75% stake in the club and is the longest-tenured owner in Cleveland franchise history.

Guardians chairman and CEO Paul Dolan, Larry Dolan's son, took over as the team's primary control person in 2013.

"We are saddened by the loss of our Dad, but lucky to have him as part of our lives as long as we did," he said in a statement. "He was a loving husband, father and grandfather who was passionate about his family, work, our community and his love of our local sports teams, including owning the Cleveland Guardians."

The Cleveland Guardians are saddened to announce the passing of Lawrence Dolan, owner of the Cleveland Guardians.

Larry purchased the Cleveland Baseball Club on February 15, 2000, from Richard Jacobs. The 2025 season is the 26th year of ownership for the Dolan family, the... pic.twitter.com/NrUYg62mtg

Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) February 24, 2025

The franchise was known as the Cleveland Indians before changing its name to the Guardians after the 2021 season. Over the past 24 seasons, Cleveland has won seven American League Central Division titles, made nine postseason appearances and advanced to the 2016 World Series before losing to the Chicago Cubs in seven games. Cleveland also hosted the 2019 MLB All-Star Game.

"I am saddened by the passing of Cleveland native Larry Dolan, whose family's quarter-century ownership has made their hometown team a consistent winner and a staple of their community," MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. "He strongly believed in mentoring young people and using the Guardians as a way to impact Greater Cleveland. Larry also served the industry by bringing his professional expertise to the Major League Executive Council and the Ownership Committee, and he served on two labor negotiating committees."

Dolan is survived by his wife Eva, six children and 21 grandchildren. His nephew, James Dolan, owns the New York Knicks, New York Rangers and Madison Square Garden.

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- Mid-February live batting practice sessions are usually forgettable, but the one held on the main field at Clover Park the day after Valentine's Day was different for the New York Mets.

Kodai Senga, the presumed ace a year ago, faced four hitters. He threw 16 pitches, touched 96 mph and didn't appear compromised from the shoulder injury that kept him out for all but 5 innings during the 2024 regular season. Afterward, he shared laughs with catcher Luis Torrens and pitching coach Jeremy Hefner.

"I saw a smile on his face," Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. "That's a good sign."

Two days later, on Feb. 17, came a bad sign: Frankie Montas, one of the team's offseason additions for the starting rotation, was shut down for up to eight weeks with a lat strain. Then, on Monday, Mendoza told reporters left-hander Sean Manaea has been shut down for a few weeks due to a right oblique strain and will likely start the season on the injured list.

Suddenly, a Mets rotation with uncertainty entering spring training for the second straight year has some more.

Last spring, Senga, coming off an outstanding rookie year, was supposed to be a sure thing. Instead, he was shut down with a shoulder injury before appearing in a Grapefruit League game and started just the one game in July.

The Mets thrived without him, with a rotation full of newcomers, completing an 89-win campaign capped by a trip to the National League Championship Series. But as they look to improve on that finish after a monster offseason, questions around the rotation abound.

Can Senga stay healthy? When will Montas return? Will Manaea, with his spring training setback, continue where he left off after a midseason delivery change produced elite results? Will Clay Holmes, exclusively a reliever the past six seasons, successfully transition back to starting games? Was David Peterson's career year -- he posted a 2.90 ERA in 21 starts -- an aberration?

"I will say, I feel much better about our starting pitching depth sitting here today than I did a year ago," Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns said days before Montas sustained his injury during his first bullpen session of camp. "We made that a priority of our offseason. We brought in a number of players at all levels of free agency."

All levels but one: proven ace-level starting pitchers.

The Mets' offseason will be remembered for bookend investments in All-Stars to fortify their lineup: Juan Soto in early December and Pete Alonso the week before pitchers and catchers reported for camp. For the second offseason under Stearns' direction, though, they had holes to fill in the rotation and did not acquire any of the premium starters available.

A year after their long-term bid for Yoshinobu Yamamoto fell short, the Mets did not aggressively pursue the three top starters available in free agency: Max Fried, Blake Snell and Corbin Burnes. (Fried strengthened an already-strong rotation strength across town, signing with the New York Yankees on an eight-year, $218 million deal.)

Instead, they made low-risk, high-reward short-term investments with an emphasis on depth. They re-signed Manaea to a three-year, $75 million contract. They signed Holmes, a two-time All-Star closer, to a three-year, $38 million deal to become a starter. They added Montas, an injury-plagued right-hander who recorded a 4.84 ERA in 2024, on a two-year, $34 million deal. They signed Griffin Canning, a former top prospect, to a one-year, $4.25 million deal after the right-hander pitched to a 5.19 ERA and surrendered 31 home runs last season, the second-most in baseball, for the last-place Los Angeles Angels.

The additions join Senga, Peterson, Paul Blackburn and Tylor Megill to round out the options for a six-man rotation, which the Mets have planned to deploy in large part to accommodate Senga.

"I think our pitching is going to surprise people, even though there's a lot of talk about starting pitching," Mets owner Steve Cohen said. "And another thing is we're flexible. If we have to make changes or improve the team during the year, you saw what we did in '24 and we'll do it again in '25."

For all the offensive fireworks and Grimace-engineered vibes the 2024 OMG Mets produced, extracting value from the starting rotation was the foundation for their success. Luis Severino, signed to a one-year, $13 million deal, recorded a 3.91 ERA over 31 starts last year after posting a 6.65 ERA with the Yankees the year before. Jose Quintana registered a 3.75 ERA in 31 starts in his age-35 season on a $13 million salary. Manaea dropped his arm slot in his 21st start and pitched to a 3.09 ERA over his final 12 outings before the playoffs.

"[We] want to be a team that can improve players," Cohen said. "And I think from a pitching perspective, we're able to do that."

Hefner pointed to Severino's jump from 89 innings in 2023 to 182 innings last season as evidence that, with the required work ethic, a successful sizable workload increase is possible.

"I feel like our performance staff does a good job of monitoring guys and not just putting reins on them," Hefner said. "They're very much like, 'Let's go. Let's push. How far can we take them?' As long as they're recovering and they're honest with us and they're staying on top of their programs, we have full confidence that a guy could make a big jump in innings."

In Holmes, the Mets will attempt a more extreme escalation.

The Yankees' former closer has totaled 337 innings over his seven-year career, including 63 innings each of the past two seasons. He hasn't started a game since September 2018. To get through a lineup two or three times, Holmes said he plans on incorporating a changeup -- a pitch he started tinkering with in bullpens last season -- for the first time and using his four-seam fastball more often to complement his sinker (his best pitch). The goal is to build up to 90 pitches by Opening Day.

"I would say now it's starting to get a little different," Holmes said last week. "I threw three innings the other day. It was probably the first time I've done that in a while."

Relievers have successfully made the jump to starter. Hall of Famer John Smoltz famously converted from starter to closer back to starter. For the Mets, a club with World Series aspirations, it's a risk they decided is worth taking.

Of course, that risk won't matter if they can't keep their starting pitchers healthy -- and that starts with Senga and Manaea, who the Mets hope will eventually top a rotation that will lead them back to October.