The New York Mets will have to overcome a significant injury while trying to avoid a last-place finish in the National League East.
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The MLB team has placed Juan Soto on the 10-day Injured List as he deals with a Grade 2 left calf strain. He is expected to miss significant time while recovering from the injury. This followed him dealing with a nagging calf injury earlier in the week.
This also marks the second time in recent memory that Soto has missed time due to a calf strain. He missed three weeks in April with a right calf strain suffered in a win over the San Francisco Giants.
"It's a little more significant than last time," manager Andy Green said on Saturday. "It's not what we were hoping for.
"He's a guy we love having on the field. He's a guy who loves to be on the field competing. We'll be without him for a period of time now."
The Mets had tried to minimize the risk of another calf strain after the All-Star break. Soto, the team's only All-Star, suited up as a designated hitter in four of his team's six games. He played left field in another.
The strategy did not pay dividends. Soto still landed on the Injured List. Now, the team will try to avoid another collapse as he misses time.
The MLB team lost 12 consecutive games as Soto recovered from the right calf strain earlier this year. This played a role in the team falling into the basement of the NL East and ultimately firing manager Carlos Mendoza.
This time, the Mets will have to make a decision about bringing Soto back into the lineup as he continues to recover. Will the team activate him after he spends the 10 days on IL, or will the team take a more cautious approach while trying to avoid another setback.
"We are all cognizant of his long-term importance to us," Green said. "We will factor that in appropriately. It's also good for healthy baseball players to get on the field and play baseball. So we'll balance that when the time comes."
