New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza prioritizes Juan Soto's long-term health, opting for caution over a quick return from his calf strain.
The 2026 MLB season is not even three weeks old, but the New York Mets are set to begin a pivotal stretch.
Superstar outfielder Juan Soto is on the 10-day IL with a calf strain, and the estimated recovery is 2-to-3 weeks, which means he could be out until right before the end of April.
Soto was initially listed as day-to-day before the Mets decided to place him on the IL on Monday, but it was retroactive to April 4.
On Tuesday, the Mets kicked off a series against the Arizona Diamondbacks in Queens, and manager Carlos Mendoza shed light on the decision to put Soto on the shelf.
"There's no reason for us to continue to go day-by-day and put him through a series of exercises and make a decision whether he's going to be available or not," Mendoza said, via Jorge Castillo.
Mendoza said that they "just wanted to play it safe" rather than rushing Soto back and having him be day-to-day as he recovers from the injury.
Castillo also reported that Soto will do indoor exercises and he will not do baseball activities until the pain goes away, so they are being extra cautious with their superstar.
The corresponding move with Soto going to the IL was Ronny Mauricio being recalled from Triple-A Syracuse, but Mendoza isn't planning on using him that much, at least right now, via Danny Abriano of SNY.
"Coming off the bench, lefty bat, the versatility, defensively, pinch-running if we need to. But also understanding that the playing time part is gonna be limited. But we're not talking about having a case here like last year, where he kind of sat on the bench for a long time," Mendoza said.
On Tuesday, Mendoza decided to use Brett Baty in right field and Carson Benge in left, so it will be interesting to see how the playing time is broken up with Soto injured.
The earliest Soto could return is April 14, but that feels like a long shot given the initial timeframe and Mendoza's comments, so there could be a bit of a longer layoff until the star outfielder returns.
This is Soto's first non-COVID IL stint since 2021, so the hope is that he can return in full form and give the Mets a boost whenever he is healthy once again.
Otherwise, it could be a frustrating season.