New York Mets fans would love nothing more than for Juan Soto to get red-hot. After the ill-fated Subway Series against the Yankees that also served as Soto's return to the Bronx in which he struggled mightily, the criticism of the $765 million man has been relentless. However, the cold spell has continued in Boston, leading manager Carlos Mendoza to move him down to third in the lineup on Wednesday against the Red Sox. And Soto's response at the plate to that move went as poorly as possible.
Again, it would've been perfect for Soto to respond by taking Red Sox ace Garrett Grochet around the Pesky Pole or over the Green Monster. To do that, though, the superstar outfielder would've had to take the bat off his shoulder.
And against three pitches that were all in the strike zone from Crochet, Soto didn't do that once, watching the trio of offerings all cross the plate and getting wrung up for a strikeout.
That won't do anything to shut the critics up, especially the ones calling him too aloof or lazy.
Juan Soto gives critics more fodder after moving down in Mets lineup
If you're then thinking that, hey, this is baseball and the great thing is that Soto got another opportunity two innings later, you're not wrong. He did get another opportunity. Unfortunately for Mets fans, it was just more of the same. Crochet threw only four pitches, the first a ball and the next three strikes, and Soto didn't move the bat once again as he struck out for the second time.
Make no mistake, the criticism against Soto has been quite overblown. The reaction of some fans, particularly salty Yankees fans, would have you believe that he's worthy of being demoted to Triple-A. Even after his two strikeouts against boston, he's still sporting an .807 OPS on the season. It's all about expectations when it comes to Soto and, for as good as he's been, it's not what Mets fans or any baseball fan expected to see.
At the same time, moments like his response at the plate after being pushed down to third in the Mets lineup only further fuels criticsm. Whether or not this is true, especially after a poor showing against his former team in the Yankees, the idea becomes that he's shrinking in the face of adversity. That's not what you want to see in the first year of a decade-and-a-half commitement to him if you're a Mets fan.
Considering that he's been nothing but awesome in his career to this point, it's almost certain that this is a blip on the radar. However, for the time being, Mets fans would probably be better off just wearing noise-canceling headphones and staying off social media. The Soto criticism isn't going anywhere just yet and it's only going to get more infuriating to see.