New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza defended outfielder Juan Soto on Tuesday, a day after saying he would meet with the star over his perceived lack of hustle. “He’s human. He’s 26, man,” Mendoza told reporters before a loss to the Boston Red Sox. “He’s going to be fine. He’s Juan Soto.”
Soto, who signed the richest contract in Major League Baseball history over the offseason, has been subject to criticism about his effort level, as well as his offensive output. Following a 1 for 3 showing on Tuesday, he’s now hitting .247/.379/.437 (134 OPS+) with eight home runs and more walks than strikeouts. Most players would happily take those marks, but Soto’s compensation and history (this would represent a career-worst season) make him an exception.
“I think he’s comfortable, but everything is new — not only a new team, but just the new contract, the expectations,” Mendoza added. “He’s always been on winning teams and won a World Series. But this is new territory for him. That’s our job as an organization to continue to help him.”
Our Mike Axisa broke down the red flags in Soto’s season on Tuesday, noting that Soto has lost bat speed and has reduced his percentage of pulled balls in the air. That combination would seem to explain why his slugging pales in comparison to his standard output. Granted, Soto has gone through similar stretches before. Back in 2023, CBS Sports published an article detailing his slow start that focused on his altered batted-ball profile and increased whiff tendencies. Soto was hitting just .183/.345/.344 at that point in the season. After the article’s publication, he batted .293/.423/.554 with 31 home runs, 100 runs batted in, and nine more walks than strikeouts the rest of the way.
You can understand, then, why Mendoza is waiting for the water to still; odds are that Soto will figure out what’s going on and correct it before long. Mendoza isn’t alone in that regard, by the way, with Mets owner Steve Cohen tweeting the following on Tuesday: “Welcome to the ups and downs of a baseball season. This too will pass. LGM”
The Mets are now 29-20 on the season, putting them in second place in the National League East.
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