Jul 19, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Mets left fielder Juan Soto (22) hits an RBI single during the sixth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
The Mets could have used Juan Soto’s bat late in Wednesday’s 4-3 loss, but interim manager Andy Green was not going anywhere near the superstar left fielder, who was given the day off.
The break was to ensure Soto gets 48 hours of rest after a minor flare-up in his left calf last week in Philadelphia. He was pulled from last Thursday’s win over the Phillies due to soreness in the area, though there was a bit of relief involved because it was not the right calf, which was strained earlier this season and forced him to miss 15 games.
“We were just gonna stay away from him, try to give him 48 hours to get the calf thing completely behind him,” Green said. “He’s been able to be out there on it, but it has continued to be something that he’s dealt with on a minor level.”
Rest days have been few and far between for Soto, who started in left field for the National League in the All-Star Game last week. He has been the Mets’ best bat by far, slashing .283/.404/.539 with 21 home runs and 52 RBI, but has slowed down over the last week by going 3-for-his-last-24.
Despite this 2026 campaign already swirling around the drain, the Mets will do everything they can to ensure Soto is out there as much as possible, as evidenced by splitting his time between left field and DH.
“At this point in time, him playing the rest of the season as healthy as possible is really important to us,” Green said.
Soto is expected to be available for the Mets’ series opener on Friday at Citi Field against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
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