This could have been significantly worse for Juan Soto and the New York Mets.
After a foul ball struck near his left toe in the fourth inning of Tuesday night’s 7-1 loss in San Diego against the Padres, the superstar right fielder was in significant pain, unable to put weight on that foot, and ultimately left the game.
Initial tests by trainer Joe Golia ruled out a broken foot, and ensuing X-rays were negative, which provided immense relief for New York and their $765 million man. The diagnosis, for now, is a left foot contusion, which will keep him out on a day-to-day rather than week-to-week basis, though a stint on the injured list has not been completely ruled out.
“I think it’s going ot be good,” Soto told reporters following the game. “We’ve just got to get the swelling down. Whenever the swelling is down, I think we’re going to be fine… It was a tough moment. 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. I couldn’t do it. We’ll just take our time and see how it goes, but in the end, we decided not to keep pushing it.”
The Mets will likely practice an abundance of caution with this rather than try to have their generational talent push through this, even if that means giving him a few nights off from outfield duty and having him serve just as a DH.
Soto’s bat was one of the only big ones within the Mets’ lineup that had been clicking as of late, even with New York having recently completed a seven-game win streak before dropping the first two in San Diego. Since May 31, he’s batting .273 with a 1.017 OPS, 17 home runs, and 36 RBI.
Without him, further stress falls on the slumping Pete Alonso, who is batting .093 in his last 15 games, and Francisco Lindor, who is batting .157 in his last 11.
