New York Mets slugger Juan Soto is back on the 10-day injured list, dealing with a left calf strain for the second time this season. This isn’t just a minor setback, folks. The guy is their lone All-Star, and the last time he was out with this exact same injury, the Mets went a brutal 3-12. You can practically hear the groans from Queens right now.
The Deja Vu Disaster for Soto
Soto looked totally off on Saturday. He walked twice against Dodgers starter Roki Sasaki in Friday’s 4-2 loss before Jorge Polanco had to pinch-hit for him in the sixth inning with the score tied at 1. The writing was on the wall. He’d shown discomfort earlier, specifically running to second base on Bo Bichette’s double-play grounder in the second inning. This isn’t a surprise hit, either. Soto missed 15 games with this identical injury from April 3-21. He tried to come back strong, sitting out Wednesday’s 4-3 loss at Milwaukee, getting a day off, then being back in the lineup Friday. He even exited the team’s first game after the break in the eighth inning on July 16 at Philadelphia, then played DH and left field to try and manage it. Clearly, it wasn’t enough, and now he’s sidelined again.
What This Means for the Mets’ Offensive Punch
This is a massive hit to the Mets’ lineup. Soto has been crushing it, hitting .293 with 21 homers and 52 RBIs in just 84 games this season. Those are All-Star numbers, exactly the kind of production you cannot afford to lose, especially not twice. To cover for him, the Mets called up infielder/outfielder Eric Wagaman from Triple-A Syracuse. Wagaman’s hitting .162 with two homers and four RBIs in 21 games this season. No disrespect to the call-up, but that’s a huge drop-off in offensive power, and the Mets can’t afford to replicate that disastrous 3-12 stretch they had without Soto earlier this year.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
Leave a Reply