New York Mets All-Star outfielder Juan Soto is heading to the injured list after an MRI exam confirmed he suffered a Grade 2 strain of his left calf. The team made the move before Saturday’s home matchup against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The severity of the injury means Soto will be sidelined for a notable stretch, though the Mets have not yet announced when they expect him back.
“It’s not what we were hoping for,” said Mets interim manager Andy Green. “He’s a guy we love having on the field. He’s a guy who loves being on the field competing. We’ll be without him for a period of time now.”
This is not Soto’s first calf problem this year. He missed 15 games back in April due to a right calf injury, but the current left calf strain is being viewed as the more serious of the two.
The trouble started during Friday’s 4-2 loss to the Dodgers, when Soto left the game in the sixth inning. Green explained that the injury was aggravated in the second inning when Soto ran to second base on a double-play grounder hit by Bo Bichette.
In recent weeks, the team had been managing the injury by giving Soto time as a designated hitter to reduce the strain on his calf. He played left field against the Philadelphia Phillies on July 16 but exited in the eighth inning. He also sat out a game against the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday before the team had Thursday off. Despite those precautions, the injury continued to worsen.
Green defended the way the situation was handled, saying the team made reasonable decisions given what they knew at the time.
“This last week, we gave him at-bats, we gave him rest in times when we felt it appropriate, and then yesterday he couldn’t get over the hump,” Green said. “Is it possible we could have looked back and thought we could have moved a little bit quicker on this, given where we’re at today? Yes. I don’t know that that ultimately changes the situation we’re in right now. I respect somebody who’s trying to get on the field and play through things.”
Through 84 games this season — his second with the Mets under a 15-year, $765 million contract — the five-time All-Star is hitting .283 with 21 home runs and 52 RBIs.
Green does not believe the injury will end Soto’s season, but said the team plans to take a closer look at how Soto prepares and recovers.
“Juan wants to be and expects to be a generational, Hall of Fame-type player,” Green said. “So the way he’s wired, he’s going to look at whatever he can to keep himself on the field going forward, and we’ll partner with him in trying to find what those answers are and if there are adjustments to make in anything from prep to recovery to anything that is possible to be considered.”
To fill the roster spot, the Mets called up first baseman Eric Wagaman from Triple-A Syracuse. The 28-year-old appeared in 21 games with New York earlier this season, batting .162 with two home runs and four RBIs.
