To borrow from the great Mark Twain, reports of Juan Soto’s demise were greatly exaggerated.
Criticized for a slow start to his tenure with the New York Mets, Soto was named the National League Player of the Month for June. In at-bats, Soto slashed .322/.474/.722 with an OPS of 1.196 that led the leagues, finishing with 11 home runs, 20 RBI, 25 walks, and 25 runs scored.
Despite his many stretches of offensive excellence, it is the first time Soto has received MLB’s monthly honor. For Mets fans, it was a welcome turnaround by the high-priced slugger.
Juan Soto Named MLB Player of the Month for First Time in His Career
After Soto signed a 15-year, $765 million contract with the Mets during the offseason, expectations were high for the 26-year-old outfielder, who had finished in the top 10 in MVP voting in five of the past six seasons. But patience was short as Soto batted just .232 in April, generating pointed backlash from fans and media such as Sal Licata of WFAN Sports Radio in New York.
“Juan Soto has stunk to start his Mets career,” Licata ranted on April 17. “I never thought I would be at this point with Juan Soto, a guy I begged and pleaded the Mets to go get. A guy I wanted more than any player ever in my fandom. I wanted Juan Soto. The Mets delivered. And every single time this guy has come up in a big spot this year, and there have been plenty, he has failed.”
Soto followed that up by batting just .219 in May, and although May 31 found him reaching base at a .357 clip, the ”what’s wrong with Soto” narrative had seemingly reached apocalyptic levels.
“It’s a game of failure,” Soto explained shortly before Memorial Day. “Sometimes, you’re going to fail.”
But in the last two games of May, Soto got three hits, including a home run, and a walk, which jumpstarted him right into a big month. He failed to reach base in only two of 27 June games, with 25 walks going along with his 29 hits, while Soto struck out 20 times.
Juan Soto Seeks Fifth Straight All-Star Game Appearance
For the season, Soto has increased his slash line to .257/.395/.500 with an .895 OPS. He is second in the league in OBP, with a league-leading 71 walks, and Soto is tied for 11th with 20 home runs.
MLB analysts have until Sunday afternoon to debate whether Soto did enough in June to earn his fifth straight All-Star Game appearance. Voted in as a starter in 2024, Soto was a finalist this season but did not earn a starting spot, as MLB announced on Tuesday that Ronald Acuna Jr. of the Atlanta Braves and Chicago Cubs teammates Kyle Tucker and Pete Crow-Armstrong were named the starters.
The rest of the 2025 All-Star rosters, including pitchers and reserves for both teams, will be revealed on Sunday at 5 p.m. ET.
In his last column just before the starters were revealed, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic predicted that Soto would be named as a reserve. However, Rosenthal’s roster had James Wood of the Washington Nationals in the starting lineup, while Acuna was listed among the notable snubs. With Wood deserving of a spot, he might squeeze Soto out, although Rosenthal suggested that Corbin Carrol’s injury status could also play a role in the final roster.
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