Jun 18, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Mets left fielder Juan Soto (22) celebrates his home run during the first inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
It seems unfair that Juan Soto, the Mets’ lone All-Star representative at this summer’s Midsummer Classic in Philadelphia, had to be the one to face the national media to address his team’s disastrous first half.
Then again, he has not gotten anything close to consistent support from the rest of his team, so this does all feel a bit fitting.
“I’ve been trying my best to win games, to help my team,” Soto said. “It’s definitely not easy. I know how hard my team is working, and I appreciate that they come in day in and day out. They never stop, they keep grinding. They try to find a way every day. Nothing else I can ask for.
“I’ve been doing my best, and we haven’t gotten to the spot that we want to be, so it feels like a little bit of a failure, so I gotta keep going. I gotta keep getting better, and I gotta try harder.”
With the second-worst record in the National League at 40-57, zero fault belongs to Soto. He’s slashing .290/.405/.562 (.967 OPS) with 21 home runs and 51 RBI in 74 games. He is the only Met with an OPS over .800, as the new additions to the lineup, like Bo Bichette and Marcus Semien, have fallen overwhelmingly short. Star shortstop Francisco Lindor was also limited to just 40 games in the first half due to a calf injury.
“I feel like everybody needs a couple days off after a tough stretch to get the days off and kinda like start over,” Soto said. “I think it’s gonna be good for the guys.”
According to Fangraphs, the Mets have a 0.8% chance of making the postseason, but Soto is preaching faith that things can finally turn around — though it is far more likely that president of baseball operations David Stearns becomes a big-time seller at Major League Baseball’s Aug. 3 trade deadline.
“Keep believing,” Soto implored. “We’re gonna turn things around. We have a lot of talent. We have a lot of players that can be elite, so don’t give up on them. We’re gonna turnt his back around.”
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