The New York Mets lost Juan Soto during last night's 3-1 win over the Tigers as he came up limping after a foul ball.
The New York Mets have already experience what baseball life is like with outfielder Juan Soto out with an injury, but this time his absence won’t be for nearly as long.
The Mets did have a scary moment with Soto, though. He fouled a ball off his ankle early in last night’s 3-1 win over the Detroit Tigers, and he came up limping. When Soto didn’t get back in the box right away, manager Carlos Mendoza emerged from the dugout with trainer Joe Golia, according to Anthony DiComo of MLB.com, and an extended conversation followed.
Soto finished the at-bat and struck out, then grounded out in the sixth. MJ Melendez pinch hit for Soto next time around, and he could miss time going forward.
“I was concerned as soon as he got hit, because it got him pretty good there,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “We went out there, and you could tell that he was in pain. That second at-bat didn’t look right. Then when I saw the trainer come my way, I knew something was up. That’s when he said, ‘Hey, I’m going to take him for X-rays.’ I’m glad that we got good news.”
Soto has been slumping lately, with his current slash line now .263/.357/.444 after he was hitting over .300 as recently as the beginning of the Mets’ recent road trip. He has four home runs and 15 walks in 27 games, according to DiComo, which is obviously well below what the Mets were expecting from him in mid-May.
The Mets already have half their lineup out with injuries, so they can ill-afford having him on the IL for even a minimum number of games. The current injured list features shortstop Francisco Lindor, infielder Jorge Polanco, center fielder Luis Robert Jr. and catcher Francisco Alvarez, and backup shortstop Ronny Mauricio and outfielder Jared Young are also on the injured list. The lineup has been struggling as a result, and the Mets began their current homestand ten games under .500 while being next to last in MLB in runs scored ahead of only the San Francisco Giants.
The Mets have gotten a boost from rookie outfielders Carson Benge and A.J. Ewing, and the pitching has stabilized without Kodai Senga and David Peterson. The Mets have won back-to-back games against the Tigers this week, and they get a rare chance to sweep a series this afternoon with Nolan McLean on the mound.