QUEENS, NY — Injured superstar Juan Soto is certain that he will return from the injured list before the end of the 2026 season after suffering a Grade 2 calf strain expected to sideline him for the next four to six weeks.
“We’re just taking it week by week, day by day,” Soto said on Monday prior to his team’s series opener against the Atlanta Braves. “We’re trying to see how I feel. Definitely, I’m young enough to recover quick, so we don’t know how I’m gonna feel tomorrow, the next day.”
Soto had been dealing with lingering soreness in his left calf — the opposite side of the calf that held him out for 15 games earlier this season — before getting 48 hours of rest on Wednesday and Thursday. He did not finish Friday’s opener against the Los Angeles Dodgers, and an MRI revealed a Grade 2 strain that landed him on the 10-day IL on Saturday.
“We were expecting something because I was definitely going through it a lot,” Soto said. “I was in a lot of pain, but I just kept pushing. And definitely when we got the MRI, we knew I was gonna get some results.”
Asked if he regretted trying to play through it, given that the Mets entered Monday’s action 18 games under .500 and on the cusp of a fire sale, Soto bristled.
“I’m trying to go out there and help my team to win ballgames, so whatever it takes,” he said. “Sometimes it’s tough. We were hoping that it goes the other way and I get better and healthier and I could keep going.”
His impending long-term absence only rubs salt in the wound of a lost season. The Mets were expected to be a legitimate playoff contender, but instead have the second-worst record in the National League.
“It’s been a tough season,” Soto admitted. “There’s been a lot of ups and downs. There’s been a lot of frustration, and it’s a tough situation at this moment. We never expected to be in this kind of spot by now… I always trusted that we had the talent to turn it around and to compete this year.”
He added that this team should bounce back to contend next season: “Just look at the roster. We have great players. We just have to stay healthy and try to play better baseball.”
Of course, Soto and the Mets have to get through the rest of this nightmare. While there is every reason to take his foot off the gas pedal and take things slow, both the player and organization deem it important to get him back on the field before this season ends.
“We want to get to the other side of the injury risk, right?” interim manager Andy Green began. “You want to get him completely healthy before you even engage in that conversation. We think the timelines line up that there’s enough of a season left that it’s worthwhile to get one of your best players back on the field and go win baseball games.”
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