5:53PM: Soto told SNY and other media that the MRI revealed “just a minor strain” in his right calf. The plan is for Soto to go “day by day and see how it feels. Definitely no decisions made yet [about the injured list]. We’re going to see how I wake up for the next couple of days and then go from there.” The Mets have an off-day on Monday, which gives the team some extra time to monitor Soto and potentially make a roster decision before Tuesday’s game with the Diamondbacks.
1:09PM: Juan Soto left yesterday’s 10-3 Mets win over the Giants with what the team described as right calf tightness. Manager Carlos Mendoza told the New York Post’s Mike Puma and other reporters postgame that Soto will undergo an MRI today to determine the extent of the injury.
Soto lasted just a half-inning into Friday’s game, as he picked up the injury while advancing from first to third on a Bo Bichette single in the first inning. Soto was retired on a force play at the plate later in the frame, and Tyrone Taylor took over for Soto in left field for the bottom half of the first.
Over 34 plate appearances, Soto has hit .355/.412/.516 with one home run in the early stages of the 2026 campaign. The superstar’s hot start has been a bright spot within an inconsistent Mets offense — beyond yesterday’s rout of the Giants and an 11-7 win over the Pirates on Opening Day, New York has scored only 14 runs over its other six games.
Needless to say, losing Soto for any amount of time would be a rough break for the Mets’ lineup. Brett Baty would likely get the bulk of playing time in left field if Soto is sidelined, with Taylor providing some platoon cover apart from his usual fourth-outfielder duties. Jorge Polanco has been limited mostly to DH duty due to his bothersome left Achilles, so Mark Vientos (who is also off to a hot start in limited playing time) would see more action at first base if Baty is needed more regularly in left field.
Soto’s durability is an underrated aspect of his standing as one of baseball’s best players. Over the 2021-25 seasons, Soto played in 783 of a possible 810 games, and he hasn’t been on the injured list since 2021 (when he missed two weeks with a left shoulder strain). The MRI results will determine whether or not this streak of good health will continue, though even if the tests are negative, the Mets could opt to give Soto a 10-day IL stint just as a precaution in order to let him fully heal up.
As if the offense wasn’t weird enough…
I guess there goes the gold glove for this year?
After last year’s stolen base crown, I had him down for the platinum glove.
A Sith Lord?
That Force play proves it.
Followed by the Solo homer.
“Force play at the plate” = the front end of a 1-2-3 double play.
Soto wont be gone more the minimum. Hes tough n heals like wolverine
???? How would you know this if he’s almost never been seriously injured???
And you don’t even know what the injury is yet. There are some injuries from which no one comes back in just 10 days.
Every player is injured, just not enough to not play. So the fact that he plays a lot indicates his toughness. You think Cal Ripken Jr. felt great every game?
Having gone to a couple of the games towards the end of Cals streak you could definitely tell he was not feeling great. Dude looked like he didn’t want to walk. He only played the mandatory 5 innings
He’s been consistently healthy in his career so hopefully it’s just a 15-day IL stint.
Agreed but it’s time to call on Chico Escuela to save the season.
Soto will be fine. He is a gamer
At least he was before he signed that 15 year contract!
“Before he signed”…Look at Rendon & Bryant before & after results & numbers to get an idea of where Soto may be headed.
Yeah, because all baseball players are the same.
MLB fan
Soto’s ego will keep him from ever becoming like Rendon. Soto is a crybaby at times (see WBC), but even after striking the mega payday, Soto has a passion for the game and a passion to be the best hitter. I have zero doubt that it pains Soto that Ohtani has bested his accomplishments. Soto is a guy every team should want, even if he becomes a DH in 3-4 years. It is the Mets that should be cautious and sit Soto out for a game or two.
The only thing Soto and Rendon have in common is they both played for the 2019 Washington Nationals. Heck Soto has already hit 200% more homeruns since signing with the Mets than Rendon did over his entire contract with the Angels. Then you add in the fact he goes out and pulls the ultimate rabbit out of the hat and leads the whole damn league in stolen bases.
The only knock on Soto is he probably cares more about him being great over his team being great. Leaving the Yankees who he just went to the World Series with to go to the Mets for a contract that was less than 1% more (.006), I imagine had a whole lot to do with the ego not wanting to be in Judge’s shadow and wanting to be “The Man”.
Soto is going to do everything in his power to turn his 765m contract into an 805m contract.
MLB Top Commenter
Nothing is funnier to me than people assuming the ego and other personality traits of another person without having met them in any capacity. Save the gossip for your soaps
padrepapi: “The only knock on Soto is he probably cares more about him being great over his team being great.” Probably is the right word. It’s pure conjecture. You have no idea what’s going on inside his head, no justification for this put-down. The real knocks on Soto that do have some reality are that he’s not a good fielder and stands and watches his long flies which sometimes leave the park and sometimes don’t.
Padrepapi: Your calculations are very wrong. The amount of years made the Mets contract worth much more. The Mets are paying him more money over fewer years, with the option to make significantly more money than both original offers. The Mets offer was worth 51 mil per year, and a good portion was paid as a bonus, which doesn’t get taxed at NY state and city rates. The Yankees offer was for 47.5 mil per year, and no report of a proposed signing bonus. The Mets offer also allows for the contract to become 805 mil, which would make the contract worth almost 53.7 mil. per year. He left the Yankees for a whole lot more money.
Joel from NY – Saying one of the best players in baseball has a big ego wasn’t meant as a knock on him. He showed up as the cockiest rookie I can recall ever seeing. Him taunting future HOF Zack Greinke in the playoffs as a 19 year old was amazing. Staring pitchers down as he grabbed his junk at them still cracks me. It’s hard to be THAT cocky and not have a big ego, maybe even impossible.
Dude turning down 440m three years from free agency comes from the confidence of thinking your worth way more.
I love the guy! And I think his ego and cockieness are enduring because he is so damn good. If he was a fringe all star, that wouldn’t be the case.
Jdt8312 – He took 15/765m from the Mets instead of 16/760m from the Yankees. Pretty damn similar offers, but you are right, the Mets deal came with the higher AAV. He got .006% more guaranteed money from the Mets (765/760). It Might turn into 805m, but looking strictly at the guarantee.
I dislike the Yankees (swipes tears re’98) and I’m not going to lie, I did enjoy seeing him switch teams in the same city over so little. Fresh off the World Series no less.
The haters he has was summed up nicely by a poster below. Heck, he had 23 BWAR, 125 homeruns and a .950 OPS (157 OPS+) before he turned 24, or the age Judge was when he debuted. His age 19 season was historic and I think he’ll go down as one of the all-time greats with all that he has already accomplished.
Begamin: Right you are, except that I find this type of comment more stupid than funny.
Begamin
I get your point and I don’t even have a graduate degree in psychology.
Padre Papi gives some excellent examples of facts leading to my conclusions about Soto. Again, my view is that Soto’s ego is both evident and an asset, not a liability.
It’s not the same amount of time. He’s getting paid much better by the Mets because it’s one less year, it came with a tax free bonus, and it can become 805 mil. It’s not nearly the same contract that the Yankees offered. The details matter in the overall value of the offers.
@Mad Hater: He has been a gamer since he signed it as well. He was great last year and has started this season off great. No idea why people want to hate him so much. I assume sour grapes because their team didn’t sign him.
And a lot of the Mets fans who post on here were trying to blame him for their struggles last year. This, despite Lindor being the only other Met who was even close to Soto in value in 2025.
Yeah that’s me as a Yankees fan lol.
Hammerin’: Correct. Early last year a lot of people were complaining about Soto…at the time his obp was about .370…pretty soon those same people will start complaining that he’s got only one homer.
Just as long as he’s not a gambler.
He’s slowly heading towards Stantonville. He’ll be a DH by 2028.
“DH by 2028″…Soto was already a defensively challenged DH in 2022. Playing him out of place in an OF position doesn’t really change all that.
MLB fan.
You know it’s bad when he’s defensively challenged as a DH.
/s
He wishes. Stanton had to work at being a DH and was much more comfortable/focused when he played the field. Not everyone can make the transition to DH and anyone who does it as well as Stanton should count themselves lucky.
Soto will keep being a great hitter no matter what position he plays.
And if he is a DH he’ll still be a top-ten player in MLB.
Hank: You’re so sure you had to make 2 posts about it? I’m not convinced he’s playing under his real DOB and he has to be a beast to be a top 10 player as a DH. He got his bag so good for him but I think his deal is going to talked about for years as an example of why not to sign dudes for 10+ years.
That will be the most expensive IL list ever.
In other news, studies have shown that Humans often display hatred and negativity as a defensive mechanism against perceived threats, rooted in fear, insecurity, or a need to control their environment. This behavior acts as a coping mechanism for vulnerability, where negativity masks deep-seated anxiety, envy, or personal dissatisfaction.
Ones reality is in one’s own mind.
“In other news”…Jimmy…Jimmy Kimmel is that you?
@mlb fan…
😉
Hopefully Soto isn’t out too long. I don’t want my little brother to argue thats the reason the Mets miss the playoffs.
Your little brother would say the phrase that pays. Last time I used it here on MLBTR, the comment got flagged for review.
Was that phrase, “How about them Jets?”, Chuckster?
The phrase that pays has L O and L in it.
My mission is complete
Phew, just day to day.
We’re all day to day.
Though Morabito probably gets the call up as being in 40 man already and having a good start to 2026 MiLB season, I prefer AJ Ewing to get the shot.
NYMETSHEA: Its a moot point now that Soto is day-to-day. But please explain how and why you’ve come to think that a guy with just 30 games in AA is more ready for the majors than a guy with a full season, plus an AFL season at that level? Yeah, Ewing is off to a better start in a than Morabito WAS a year ago. But that has no bearing on where they are in their progressions now, and Morabito is off to a strong start in AAA. They are similar players: both with very little HR power, both former IFs being converted to OF.
FYI: the prospect rankings are not based on where they are now. The rankings are based on what the player’s ceiling is, without regard to how much more development time he may need to reach it.
Geoff, I don’t remember you ever making a comment that wasn’t snarky, lol. Your bitterness is misplaced. A little less condescension is good for the soul.
@Fried Chop: geofft has been crashing out more and more lately. Hope everything is OK with him.
The fact is Morabito might have a good start to the year but scouting doubts his ability to handle MLB pitching. Could be the future replacement for Taylor for the fourth outfielder.
The Mets have moved Benge up to the majors after similar progression in the minors. Hit up to AA well while ignoring the AAA results as it was small. Strong spring seemed to seal the fate.
The ranking has nothing to do with my statement. It has to do with Morabito’s ceiling/floor versus Ewing’s ceiling/floor. It factors in Morabito’s scouting and results compared to Ewing’s.
Hit tool – Ewing
Power – Ewing (barely and both not good)
Speed – toss up
Defense – Ewing
So what is your argument?
P.S.
I preferred Benge start in the minors and Ewing start in the majors after Spring Training. Think Ewing’s and Morabito’s type of play can translate to majors better and quicker.
Advice to readers: few enjoyable/intelligent comments to be found. Return to what you were doing before you logged on.
@ Joel… Any comment section Soto related will always have Ignorant comments on it. Was that way back when A Rod signed his record breaking contract too. Nature of the beast.
There’s a “Mute” button for a reason. No shame in using it liberally.
NO “Biggy”
Baty To LF & A Hot Vientos To 1B…
Also Have Young (1B / LF / DH)
You Folks Need To Look At The Level Of MLB/AAA Depth In This Organization…
Stearns Is NO Dope…
Best Wishes To All The Players
( ⚾As Long As They’re NOT Playing Us⚾ )
Here come the long string of injuries after signing a billion dollar contract for life. Glad the Yanks didn’t sign him.
Right. You wouldn’t want a guy who’s played almost every single game for the last few seasons on your team.
Sorry your Yankees missed out on re-signing this great and durable player.
Yankee fans prefer Real Yankees® like Bellinger and Stanton instead of money-grabbers like Soto.
Chucky:
“Yankee fans prefer real Yankees like Stanton instead of money-grabbers like Soto”
When Stanton signed his $325M contract in November 2014 with the Marlins, it was the largest contract in North American sports history at the time.
Since the trade in 2017, he’s missed nearly 40% of his games for the Yankees. He’s been consistently unavailable in chunks, which has made it harder for the Yankees to rely on him day-to-day and to execute efficient roster construction. I don’t remember him giving money back from that atrocity of a contract. Further, Soto is 27 and has and always will be the better player, with an elite and patient approach compared to Stanton’s all-or-nothing at bats.
What an asinine take, right on brand for LOLChucky.
This is a pretty dumb comment.
…..which is what you expect when you see his name
Opportunity for Baty and Vientos to be in lineup every day for the moment. Small sample of tonight and it’s looking good. The Vientos hate from the mirage of Spring Training was off the chain. No one hates the Mets quite like Mets fans, sometimes
Vientos has been great. So good to see him persevere and hit. He even made a great (albeit funny) play on a short hop liner to him.
10 cent: Vientos is making a lot of people, including me, look not so smart. Good thing he wasn’t traded for peanuts. He’s even looking ok at first, surprisingly. Now that we’re on that, at this point Stearns is looking smart for choosing to bring Jared Young north.
Young had a massive game today. Didn’t know he had that kind of arm in the outfield.
Fried: I have to admit I questioned him being kept rather than Melendez or Pache. Getting picky: I thought what made that play was the extremely quick retrieval of the ball and the throw was good but off line.
You’re right, strong throw but off the mark. It was a good tag. But I’d rather have that over someone with a weak arm. I was never enamored with Nimmo’s arm out there.
@Fried: In the last couple of years, Nimmo’s noodle arm used to drive me nuts, haha. Just seeing an average arm is an improvement.
Aren’t we all day to day tho
Calf is a baby cow
Good opportunity to get him used to DHing.
Soto is ‘day to day’.
Aren’t we all?
A hockey player would play through even if they knew it needed to be amputated after the game. Baseball players are weak clowns.
Slider:
According to a simple Internet search, that’s why MLB players live, on average, 5-10 years longer than professional hockey players, especially those hockey players who play the “enforcer” role.
Hockey players also wear an insane amount of padding, get shot up with pain killers and only have to skate around on little figure skates, so they have far fewer strains and sprains than someone running on cleats and sacrificing their bodies sans the hockey player bubble wrap.
Sure, hockey players are known to play through crazy injuries, but they’re also known for having a much higher rate of neurodegenerative and cardiovascular issues as they age.
Hockey players are more dumb than strong. And they make significantly less than MLB players. The top hockey players only make $12-$14M per year. Those toothless dummies have collectively bargained themselves into a completely hard cap, limiting current and future earning power at an unprecedented level in professional sports.
But yeah, they play through injury.
Fried: First time I’ve come across a baseball vs. hockey player argument. You learn something new every day. These are my two favorite sports, I like em both.
I can spend a lifetime ripping apart your reply. There is so much wrong with everything that you said I would be eating oatmeal out of a straw in a wheelchair by the time I were finished if you honestly think that baseball players are tougher than hockey players there’s absolutely no point in ever talking to you again. In conclusion, you could not be more dense nor more incorrect.
It’s okay. People often resort to mockery when they can’t present facts to substantiate their flawed opinions. I forgive you for retreating to the bench on this one.
I’m not mocking at all. There will not be one human being that walks the face of this earth that tells you that baseball players are tougher than hockey players and if they are you paid them to say that. I cannot even believe that we are having this discussion. It’s laughable that you say that baseball players sacrifice their bodies. They run around on grass in the summer catching and throwing a ball. Let’s not make it seem like they are soldiers. It is a non-contact sport. How tough do you have to be? Lol sacrificing their bodies.. you just described every hockey player that’s ever laced up a pair of skates
I’m sure you think golfers are tough too and I can’t even begin to imagine the strength you think bowlers must have for sacrificing their bodies too