Juan Soto has made his official return. The critical question now is whether this comeback arrives too late to salvage the New York Mets’ season.
On Wednesday, the organization formally activated its star outfielder from the 10-day injured reserve list, amidst a protracted 12-game losing streak that has relegated the team to the bottom of the MLB standings. In his initial game back against the Minnesota Twins, he occupied the second batting spot and served as the designated hitter.
His re-entry proved successful, as Soto recorded one hit in three at-bats, along with a walk, contributing to a 3-2 victory that finally halted their losing skid.
However, Soto attracted considerable attention before the game when he engaged in the following dialogue with journalists:
Reporter: “You’ve been talking to guys throughout and trying to gauge where they’re at and try to lift them as we go along here?”
Soto: “No, not at all. They’ve been on the road most of the time, so I haven’t talked to them.”
The relevant footage:
For the highest-salaried athlete on a club with aspirations of reaching the postseason to state he had not attempted to rally his teammates during an unprecedented losing streak appears questionable, particularly given that the player’s leadership within the clubhouse has faced scrutiny in some circles since his relocation to Queens.
Nonetheless, several anonymous Mets veterans came to Soto’s defense in comments made to The Athletic later that Wednesday. Here are a few examples:
“If it’s getting a lot of attention,” one Mets player said, “then that’s wrong and way overblown.”
“They’re going through it, and you’re not there,” another veteran said. “He was here every day and on the top step when we were home. On the road, he’s taking care of business. What’s he going to say in a text message, anyway? What it comes down to is, we’ve needed to do our jobs, and we haven’t.”
Despite being only 27 years old, Soto is currently in his ninth MLB campaign and is under contract with the Mets through the most lucrative agreement in baseball history, valued at $765 million. His prior game appearance was on April 3, when he sustained a calf strain during base running. The Mets secured victories in their subsequent three games without Soto, then commenced their worst losing streak since 2002, spanning 12 contests.
As Soto pointed out, the team was away for a portion of that streak. The initial five defeats occurred at home against the Arizona Diamondbacks and Athletics, after which the team journeyed to face the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs, suffering sweeps in both three-game series.
They returned to their home stadium on Tuesday and experienced another defeat, this time at the hands of the Minnesota Twins due to a late-game collapse by new closer Devin Williams. Soto was definitely present for that matchup, having been observed running the bases at Citi Field earlier in the day.
With a record of 8-16, the Mets possess the lowest record in the National League, despite maintaining the second-highest payroll in MLB (surpassed only by the Dodgers).
Even following their victory that ended the losing streak, they lag 8.5 games behind the division leader in the NL East after only 24 games played. While their roster undeniably possesses talent and they are expected to perform better, the sobering fact remains that no team in MLB history has endured a 12-game losing streak in a single season and subsequently qualified for the playoffs.
