New Juan Soto Injury Limiting Mets Star to DH, Latest Updates and Timeline on Outfielder
Juan Soto will remain the New York Mets' designated hitter amid a new injury.
Per MLB.com's Anthony DiComo, Soto dealt with forearm tightness over the weekend, initially reporting the pain on Friday. He underwent an MRI that revealed no structural damage, but he will keep his role as designated hitter while receiving treatment before possibly returning to the outfield this week.
Soto has had the injury bug early on this season. He landed on the injured list on April 3 after suffering a strained right calf and didn't return until last week. He's played just 13 of the Mets' 28 games.
Through the early going, Soto has collected just one home run and five RBI while slashing .304/.418/.413, far below his standards, but about on par with what the Mets have looked like on offense this year.
The Mets have produced the fourth-worst batting average (.226) and the fewest runs (92) in baseball this year. It's up to stars like Soto to get things turned around so the team can avoid a disastrous season.
New York is 9-19 so far this season, which is tied with the Philadelphia Phillies for the worst record in baseball. The Phillies fired manager Rob Thomson on Tuesday, and it's fair to assume Mets manager Carlos Mendoza is on the hot seat as well.
"The only thing I'm worried about is getting the guys going," Mendoza told reporters on Sunday. "I get it, it sucks. And I know the questions will continue to come up, but my job is to find a way to get those guys out of a funk. That's the bottom line."
Getting Soto fully healthy would likely help the Mets' struggles, but they have plenty of other issues to address as well.
