Vague Juan Soto injury immediately dampens Mets' awaited offensive breakout

You’d have to go all the way back to the Opening series against the Pittsburgh Pirates to find the last time the New York Mets offense had life. That was until the Mets found their offense Friday in a 10-3 win against the San Francisco Giants. Even bigger than their best offensive game since Opening Day, they could be out their star outfielder. Juan Soto injured his calf while running the bases.

The timeline and even the extent of the injury are murky. The Mets' outlook without Soto is even muddier. Soto’s team-high 11 hits and .355 batting average shows one of the lone bright spots in this lineup. Without Soto, the Mets have to figure out how to stay afloat. Surely they could manage without Soto in the short term. It doesn’t mean they will either. 

Juan Soto’s untimely injury looms large over New York Mets

The Mets are arguably baseball’s most overrated teams. They consistently fall short of playoff expectations and can’t throw enough money around to try and turn wins. Now baseball’s most expensive player could miss significant time just as the Mets were getting out of their rut. Before the win over the Giants, the Mets had three straight losses and six-straight games of three or fewer runs scored. 

That said, it’s a great sign when, despite Soto’s injury, he had just one of the team’s 15 hits in the game. It was Francisco Alvarez who saved the day with two home runs. It was Marcus Semien’s three hits and team-high three RBI that gave this team life. Now they’ll have the pressure of continuing to carry the load of this offense if Soto does miss an extended portion of the season. 

The Mets just can’t seem to avoid the injury bug. This could be a minor injury, and Soto hardly misses time. It could also be a turning point in which this offense found its identity, in spite of losing its hot bat. That’s why Mets fans shouldn’t be too worried. After all, we don’t really know the extent of the injury. 

Is vague Juan Soto injury status ominous for the Mets?

The good thing is that there’s not a lot of clarity on Soto’s injury. So far, it’s just been designated as a right calf tightness. That could mean he misses a game — if that. Or it could be more than tightness and it forces him to miss more time. Until we know, for now it’s better to think positively. If he does miss weeks or even months, at least the rest of the offense is back on track. 

It should be a good sign that he was able to finish his base running route. Though he did pull up while running from first to third on a Bo Bichette hit, he was able to make it to third. Had he went down, that would have been worse. He was able to walk under his own power so just maybe the MRI is to confirm it’s just tightness and nothing more. 

Why the New York Mets can be fine if Juan Soto misses time

The Mets found offensive production with other players on Friday, which is a good sign for them as they might have to prepare for no Soto. Semien had a big game, getting three hits with a home run. It’s the second-straight game he’s recorded a hit; his only two hits before Thursday came on Opening Day. It’s not much, but it’s one player that could be getting out of a slump. Alvarez crushing two home runs is optimistic as well. 

The one player that could be a wild card is Mark Vientos. He’s batting .417 this season in 12 plate appearances. In the first three games in April, he’s batting .444 with a home run and two RBI with four hits. If he stays hot, he could be the key for this offense holding on if Soto has to miss time. 

Try not to make it worse than it is. Even if Soto does miss some games, Friday was something for Mets fans to celebrate. Maybe Friday’s game is a signal this offense can be in a good spot in the interim if Soto misses any games. You have to have a little bit of optimism after Friday one way or another, right?  

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