The New York Mets finally have gotten Juan Soto going, so the fact he wasn’t seriously injured Tuesday is something of a relief.
Despite leaving Tuesday’s loss to the San Diego Padres after fouling a ball off his foot, Soto and Mets fans can breathe a sigh of relief after X-rays on his leg were negative.
After a slow start, Soto has found his offensive footing, leading the Mets in home runs (25), runs scored (75) and OPS (.870) while leading the majors in walks (84). In part thanks to his contributions, the Mets still sit atop the National League East by a half-game over the Philadelphia Phillies.
How Did Juan Soto Injure His Foot?
The Mets’ 7-1 loss Tuesday was far-less dramatic than their defeat Monday, where they blew a 5-1 lead, rallied to tie the game then lost in walk-off fashion.
But even though Monday’s loss was one of New York’s most hurtful this year, Tuesday’s threatened to be worse after Soto fouled an 0-2 slider from Padres starter Ryan Bergert off his foot. He writhed in pain before finishing his at-bat by grounding out to San Diego second baseman Jake Cronenworth.
After the ground out, Soto admitted he tried to run but needed to leave the game due to the pain and swelling in his leg.
“It was a tough moment,” Soto said, according to MLB.com. “I just tried to come out and see if it goes away. Definitely when I swung the last moment, I tried to run, tried to push. Couldnât do it. Weâll just take our time and see how it goes, but at the end, we decided not to keep pushing it.”
Mets fans held their breath when Soto exited and went in for imaging yet could breathe a sigh of relief that there was no visible fracture in his foot. He was diagnosed with a left foot contusion.
“Not a good feeling especially when you watch him go down like that, and it looked like he was in a lot of pain,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza told reporters. “Then he hits that ball, and he looks uncomfortable running down the line. ⦠Youâre kind of just holding your breath there.
“Once I got the news, obviously a sense of relief.”
What Is Juan Soto’s Prognosis?
Mendoza reportedly said Soto still could land on the injured list due to the bruise. But Soto pushed back against that assessment.
“I think itâs going to be good,” Soto said. “Weâve just got to get the swelling down. Whenever the swelling is down, I think weâre going to be fine.”
Soto prides himself as something of an iron man, since he has played 150-plus games in each of the past four seasons and is on pace to do so again this year. He has been traded twice since his last trip to the injured list.
Still, Mets fans should not expect to see Soto in the lineup for their getaway day game Wednesday afternoon in San Diego, and Mendoza detailed how the next few days could go for his superstar outfielder.
“Itâs usually maybe a couple of days,â Mendoza said. âWeâve just got to see how he responds when he wakes up tomorrow morning, and weâll go from there.â
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