Juan Soto

Soto was drilled in the hand by a pitch during Saturday’s contest, but X-rays came back negative for any fractures and the superstar outfielder will be in the club’s lineup for Sunday’s finale in Washington. The 27-year-old slugger has hit .278/.397/.522 with 27 long balls, 68 RBI and nine stolen bases in just 110 games for the Mets this season. He’ll start in left field and bat second against Nationals’ left-hander DJ Herz.

It’s a massive relief for the Mets after Soto was drilled on the right hand by a 91.7 mph sinker during the ninth inning of Saturday’s blowout win over the Nationals. The 27-year-old generational talent figures to sit out Sunday’s season finale, but that’s not a guarantee. The positive news is that he managed to avoid serious injury, based on initial imaging. He missed a significant chunk of the year with a calf injury, but still has managed to hit .278/.397/.522 with 63 runs scored, 27 homers, 68 RBI and nine steals in 110 games so far.

Soto was drilled on the right hand by a 91.7 mph sinker in the ninth inning. He’ll presumably head for X-rays to determine whether he suffered any fractures. It’s been a nightmare season for the Mets and they can’t seem to catch a break. There’s only one game left in the season, which means it wouldn’t be surprising if this is it for Soto on the year. He was 2-for-4 at the dish prior to exiting. He’s hit .278/.397/.522 with 63 runs scored, 27 homers, 68 RBI and nine steals in 110 games this season. There should be an update on his status prior to Sunday’s regular-season finale.

Soto’s first hit of the night came on a double in the second inning that didn’t lead to any runs being scored. In the sixth inning, Soto would hit a three-run homer off of Phillies reliever Orion Kerkering to push the Mets’ lead to 6-2. It was the 26th homer of the season for Soto, who now has four homers in September and has hit safely in three of his last five games. He is slashing just .239/.329/.463 in the month.

As a team, the Mets tallied just four hits in the ballgame — all of them singles. Soto drew a one-out walk in the first inning but was promptly picked off of first base. He then walked again in the fourth and was erased on a double play. For the season, the 27-year-old slugger is slashing .270/.390/.515 with 25 homers, 61 RBI and nine stolen bases in only 439 plate appearances in his 102 games.

Soto’s home run was his 24th of the season. He hit a three-run shot off Sandy Alcantara in the second inning. It was Soto’s third home run in 10 games since he returned from the injured list in late August. He’s hitting .279 with a .936 OPS and 59 RBI.

Soto doubled with a run scored in his return Saturday, and the 27-year-old star picked up his first homer since July 9 with his solo shot. The Mets have been a borderline disaster in 2026, but Soto has done his part — when on the field, anyway — with a .941 OPS with 21 homers in his 85 games.

Soto is at DH and hitting second against the Astros on Saturday following a five-week absence with a left calf strain. The 27-year-old generational talent was hitting .283/.408/.539 with 46 runs scored, 21 homers, 52 RBI and seven steals in 359 plate appearances through 84 games before landing on the shelf in late July. He’s likely to spend most of his time at DH over the final month of the season with Carson Benge, A.J. Ewing and Luis Robert Jr. splitting time across New York’s outfield mix.

It sounds like if it’s not at some point this weekend against the Astros, Soto is in play to be activated for the September fantasy stretch run. He’s been out with a calf strain since late July.

Green added that Soto, who has expressed confidence that he’ll play again this season, remains without a definitive return timetable. He’s been on the injured list with a Grade 2 left calf strain since late July. All signs point to Soto being ready to return to New York’s lineup at some point in September, but he’s going to need a rehab assignment before that happens.

Soto hit the injured list with a Grade 2 left calf strain back in late July and told reporters that he expects to play again this season. The fact that he’s progressed to on-field running just a few weeks later seems to back up that initial optimism. The 27-year-old generational talent still needs to ramp up a hitting progression, and will likely require a brief minor league rehab assignment, before he’s ready to return to New York. There should be a more definitive return timetable at some point in the coming weeks.

After the Mets’ flurry of moves in the offseason, there was plenty of speculation that the relationship between Soto and Lindor was fractured. This would seem to give those rumors a little bit more credence. Castillo mentioned that “tension” was lingering, so sources mentioned “that Peralta in June arranged for the two stars to vent and work through their disconnect.” Peralta and Lindor have confirmed that the meeting occurred, but Castillo reports that “Soto denied such a meeting happened.” The last part is not the best indicator that things have improved, but if Peralta could have helped make that relationship more palatable, it would potentially be his lasting legacy as a member of the 2026 Mets.

Soto declined to offer a definitive return timetable after hitting the injured list with a Grade 2 left calf strain over the weekend. The 27-year-old fantasy stalwart is expected to miss at least three weeks, which makes it unlikely he’ll return to New York’s lineup until at least late August. It’ll be rookie A.J. Ewing playing everyday in left field during his absene. There should be a clearer timeline from the Mets once Soto is cleared to resume baseball activities in the next few weeks. For the moment, fantasy managers should anticipate Soto playing again this season.

The Mets can’t seem to catch a break. Soto winds up requiring a trip to the injured list with a left calf issue for the second time this season after suffering the injury during Friday’s showdown against the Dodgers. New York’s interim skipper Andy Green told reporters Soto has been diagnosed with a Grade 2 strain that will keep him out for at least three weeks, if not longer. Simply put, fantasy managers shouldn’t expect him back until at least mid-to-late August or early September. The 27-year-old generational talent has put together another borderline elite fantasy campaign, slashing .283/.408/.539 with 46 runs scored, 21 homers, 52 RBI and seven steals in 359 plate appearances through 84 games. His absence kicks the door wide open for rookie A.J. Ewing to play everyday in left field.

It sounds like an IL stint could be possible now. Jorge Polanco and Luis Robert Jr. will likely see DH time while Soto is out. Eric Wagaman or MJ Melendez could be recalled if Soto lands on the IL.

Soto has been dealing with the issue since the beginning of the second half. He’s again likely day-to-day. If he plays again this weekend, it’d probably be as a DH, meaning there wouldn’t be a spot for Jorge Polanco in the lineup.

Perhaps this has something to do with his troublesome calf? It was a 1-1 game, so it certainly wasn’t score related. Soto, who started at DH, walked twice before being replaced by Jorge Polanco.

With Luis Robert Jr. off the injured list, there was an expectation that the Mets would rotate through their outfielders, but Robert Jr. is on the bench for this one too. Brett Baty will start in right field, which will allow Jorge Polanco to DH and Marcus Semien to play second base. There will be a logjam at certain positions over the next week or so until the Mets can trade some players away.

Soto is back in New York’s lineup without missing any additional time following an early exit from Thursday’s second-half opener with left calf soreness. The 27-year-old fantasy superstar is at DH and hitting second to face Phillies lefty Jesús Luzardo on Saturday afternoon at Citizens Bank Park. Fantasy managers should continue to closely monitor his status throughout the weekend, but Soto doesn’t appear to be at risk of missing any additional game action.

Soto had singled and drawn three walks in his four plate appearances before exiting in the eighth inning for a defensive replacement. Interim manager Andy Green said after the game that the team just wanted to get him off of his feet for a couple innings and that Soto is expected to play in both games over the weekend. He’s considered day-to-day.