May 12, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets left fielder Juan Soto (22) hits a single against the Detroit Tigers during the second inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images
The Mets can ill-afford to lose any more big bats, especially their most prominent, and they got some good news on Juan Soto.
The superstar slugger left Wednesday night’s 3-2 walk-off win against the Detroit Tigers in the seventh inning, four frames after fouling a ball off his foot. He returned to the dugout later in the game, a first sign of promising news, before Carlos Mendoza said postgame that X-rays came back negative.
After being considered day-to-day, he was back in the lineup for Thursday’s series finale against the Detroit Tigers as the designated hitter, batting third.
After he fouled Framber Valdez’s offering off his foot, Soto was initially checked out by team trainers and completed his at-bat, in which he struck out. The designated hitter then took his next at-bat in the sixth inning, grounding out, before he was pulled.
“I was concerned as soon as he got hit because he got him pretty good there,” Mendoza said. “We went out there, and you could tell that he was in pain. And then just that second at-bat didn’t look right. And then when I saw the trainer come my way, I knew something was up.”
The Mets are already without four regular starters, announcing on Wednesday that catcher Francisco Alvarez would miss six to eight weeks because he needs surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee. He joined shortstop Francisco Lindor (calf), first baseman/DH Jorge Polanco (wrist, ankle), and center fielder Luis Robert Jr. on the shelf.
Despite the key absences, the Mets are playing some of their best baseball of the season — though the bar is obviously remarkably low. They have won seven of their 11 games entering Thursday’s matinee against the Tigers at Citi Field.
For more on Juan Soto and the Mets, visit AMNY.com
