Juan Soto's lack of effort reaching new lows after chat with Carlos Mendoza

When Juan Soto is on, he’s one of the best hitters in the game: spoiling pitches he doesn’t like, hammering home runs on pitches he does like, drawing walks at an unbelievable rate, making plenty of hard contact and giving it 110 percent on his effort. In his past few games with the New York Mets, these are things Soto has struggled with – emphasis on the effort.

At the start of the series against the Yankees, Soto rolled back into the Bronx to a loud chorus of boos and obscenities, among other acts of overt neglect. Yankee fans, who interpreted Soto’s departure for their rivals across town as a betrayal, did their best to ensure the heartbreak they endured was mutual. They may have been more effective than any one thought possible.

In the Subway Series opener, Soto bore a smile and tipped his helmet. Despite not collecting a big hit in the first two games, Soto walked as he usually does and stole two bases contributing to the few runs the Mets scored in the Bronx, including a Mets’ victory.

However, this would all change by the third game. The smile disappeared and reports surfaced that Soto was upset. In his last at-bat of the series, Soto put a light, apathetic swing on a ball, softly grounding it up the middle on the second base side. Soto jogged slowly from the box in an indifferent fashion as a diving DJ LeMahieu snagged the ball in a difficult, time-consuming play. Had Soto showed at least moderate effort, he could have legged it out for a base hit. Instead, he ended the night 0-for-4. This drew the ire of Mets fans as well as manager Carlos Mendoza. But it didn’t end there.

In his very next game, this one against the Red Sox, Soto blasted a ball high off the Green Monster. It should have gone for a double, but Soto watched it fly before leaving the box, apparently thinking he had a home run. As the ball was thrown back onto the infield, Soto was just turning around first with no intention of going for second. This prompted a chat with Mendoza.

On Wednesday, Soto found himself bumped back in the batting order by one spot. Much to the dismay of Mets fans, Soto was seemingly still in his head.

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Soto’s minimal effort draws criticisms from Mets fans for the third time in a week

In his first two at-bats in the series finale against the Red Sox, Soto didn’t swing once. The result: two punch outs in seven pitches. In his third at-bat, Soto would start to swing, but would strike out once more, this time swinging on a ball way outside. With Soto’s continued lack of effort in mind, Mets fans and baseball fans alike made their thoughts known:

To Soto’s credit, he began to snap out of it in his fourth trip to the plate. With the bases loaded, Soto sent a ball deep to center, narrowly missing a grand slam, but adding a run to the Mets’ lead. He would also draw a walk. On the day, he went 0-3 with a sac fly and a walk.