NEW YORK (AP) — New York Mets power hitter Juan Soto has been placed on the 10-day injured list after suffering a left calf strain, the team announced Saturday.
The injury appeared to occur during Friday’s 4-2 defeat against the Dodgers, when Soto seemed to feel discomfort while running to second base on a double-play grounder hit by Bo Bichette in the second inning. Soto drew two walks against Dodgers starter Roki Sasaki before being pulled from the game in the sixth inning, with Jorge Polanco stepping in as his replacement while the score was knotted at 1.
Through 84 games this season, Soto is batting .293 with 21 home runs and 52 RBIs. This marks the second time he has dealt with this specific injury — he previously missed 15 games from April 3 through April 21 with the same left calf issue. During that earlier absence, the Mets struggled, going just 3-12 without him.
Soto had already sat out Wednesday’s 4-3 loss in Milwaukee before returning to the lineup Friday following a team off day. He is the Mets’ only All-Star selection this year.
Prior to this latest setback, Soto had left the team’s first game back from the All-Star break on July 16 in Philadelphia in the eighth inning. After a day off, he returned as the designated hitter on Saturday and Sunday against the Phillies, played left field Monday in Milwaukee, and served as DH again on Tuesday.
To cover the roster spot, the Mets recalled infielder/outfielder Eric Wagaman from Triple-A Syracuse. In 21 games this season, Wagaman is hitting .162 with two home runs and four RBIs.
