Star slugger Juan Soto sidelined by calf strain. Mets face unexpected lineup shake-up as they navigate a crucial homestand.
The New York Mets are off to a strong 6-4 start this season, and they just took three out of four in a road series against the San Francisco Giants.
However, concerns grew as star slugger Juan Soto suffered an injury on Friday.
Soto suffered a "mild calf strain" and was listed as day-to-day, although his comments had some form of optimism.
“I’ve experienced calf tightness before,” Soto said. “This is definitely not the worst I’ve felt. So I feel positive with that.”
However, the Mets made it official and placed Soto on the 10-day injured list on Monday.
The corresponding move is infielder Ronny Mauricio being recalled from Triple-A.
The Mets diagnosed Soto with a calf strain, and the update from the team says that a typical return is anywhere from 2-to-3 weeks.
Soto has gotten off to a decent start, hitting .355 with just one home run and one RBI, but he has 11 hits in 31 at-bats.
Soto did not play on Saturday or Sunday after leaving Friday's game early, so the IL stint dates back to April 4.
Tyrone Taylor replaced Soto on Friday, but he went 0-for-4, and then Jared Young started the last two games in left field.
On Sunday, Young had three hits in three at-bats, and he has found some rhythm right now after being one of the final additions to the Opening Day roster.
Brett Baty is another player who could see some run in left field in Soto's absence, but with the way that Young is playing, manager Carlos Mendoza might give him more opportunities in the foreseeable future.
The Mets are beginning a six-game homestand with a three-game set against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday and then a three-game set against the Athletics on Friday before facing the Los Angeles Dodgers in California next Monday, but Soto could be out for the next few weeks, depending on how the recovery process goes.
This marks only the second non-COVID IL stint for Soto in his entire MLB career, and the first since May 2021, so it is a rare sight to see the slugger land on the IL.
The earliest timeline, at least based on the Mets post, is two weeks, which means Soto could be activated during the series against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field, but there could also be a sense of caution given how important Soto is to the team.