Yankees avoid worst-case scenario with initial Juan Soto injury prognosis

Juan Soto has been just the player the New York Yankees needed. With the addition of the superstar outfield, the Yankees have been on fire, holding the best record in all of the majors. Not only that, but Soto and teammate Aaron Judge are two early American League MVP candidates.

While the Yankees swept their proverbial punching bags in the Minnesota Twins on Thursday, the fanbase was left nervous. That's because Soto was pulled from the game during a rain delay due to left forearm discomfort. With this announcement, fans immediately thought about the worst-case scenario -- a season-ending injury. All they could do was wait for the results of testing on Friday.

According to New York Post insider Jon Heyman, the initial report from the doctor suggests that Soto will be "okay," with the prognosis being that the star outfielder is dealing with inflammation. However, a radiologist will be reviewing the results just to be certain.

Yankees star Juan Soto dealing with forearm inflammation

Thus far, it seems like this is good news for Soto and the Yankees. Soto had been dealing with this discomfort for over a week. Does that mean he will be available and ready to go for the start of a pivotal series against the Los Angeles Dodgers?

The Yankees unveiled their lineups ahead of their Friday matchup against the Dodgers, and Soto was not on it. Instead, it will be Judge filling in at right field, with Alex Verdugo slotted in at left field, and Trent Grisham coming off the bench to man center field. This will be the Yankees' first start against Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who they heavily pursued this offseason before ultimately losing out to the Dodgers.

Manager Aaron Boone revealed that Soto will be considered "day-to-day" with his left forearm inflammation and as of now, won't hit the injured list.

Soto will be missed in the lineup, for however long he is truly sidelined. So far this season, Soto recorded a .318 batting average (American League-high), a .424 on-base percentage (major league-high), .603 slugging percentage, 17 home runs, 49 runs, 53 RBI, 76 hits, 48 strikeouts, and 46 walks in 239 at-bats (49 games).

While the team is waiting for a definite prognosis, it appears that Soto won't miss too much time for the Yankees.