Yankees, Juan Soto suffer injury scare following collision with wall
By Scott Rogust
On late Wednesday night, the New York Yankees were celebrating with beer and champagne after clinching a playoff spot for the first time since 2022. The season has been a rollercoaster ride for the team, highlighted by their strong start to the season to their struggles since mid-June. The addition of Juan Soto by general manager Brian Cashman did wonders for the lineup and gave the Yankees a superstar duo alongside Aaron Judge.
But on Thursday, less than 24 hours after celebrating, the Yankees had a scare with Soto.
In the bottom of the seventh inning against the Seattle Mariners, Jorge Polanco hit a fly ball deep to the right field foul line. Soto chased after the fly ball and slid into the wall to make the catch. However, Soto struggled to get up after the collision, favoring his left knee.
Juan Soto made a terrific catch sliding into the wall in foul territory. He appeared to injure his leg but is staying in the game pic.twitter.com/OwODPYAfL8
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) September 19, 2024
Even so, Soto remained in the game. But he's not out of the clear just yet.
Juan Soto getting X-ray on left knee after outfield collision
After the game, Soto revealed that he will be undergoing a precautionary x-ray on his left knee and his status for Friday's game against the Oakland Athletics will depend on how he feels. Perhaps the scariest thing about this potential injury is that Soto revealed that he slid directly into the concrete of the wall.
Juan Soto said he slid directly into concrete and will have X-rays. Asked if he expects to play tomorrow at Oakland, he said it depends on how the knee feels in the morning.
— Bryan Hoch ⚾️ (@BryanHoch) September 19, 2024
Upon reading Soto mention concrete, Yankees fans had brutal flashbacks to last season. At Dodger Stadium, Judge crashed through the outfield gate to the bullpen when making a catch. Judge's foot collided with the exposed concrete at the wall, resulting in a toe sprain that sidelined him for a good portion of the season.
The Yankees just clinched a playoff spot and are aiming to clinch the AL East with a pivotal series against the Baltimore Orioles looming. The last thing they needed was being without Soto entering the playoffs.
This season, Soto recorded a .286 batting average, a .418 on-base percentage, a .575 slugging percentage, 40 home runs, 103 RBI, 120 runs, and 157 hits in 548 at-bats (149 games).
Soto is set to hit free agency this winter and could command a contract well north of $500 million. An injury this late into the season is concerning. But Soto is focused on helping the Yankees win their 28th World Series title. First things first, Soto and the Yankees await the results of the precautionary x-ray.
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