The Mets Juan Soto could not break out of the batter's box and exited after fouling a pitch off his foot. How was he feeling after Tuesday's game?
SAN DIEGO — After crouching down in the infield grass a few moments after taking a foul ball to his left foot, Juan Soto reentered the batter's box in the fourth inning on Tuesday night at Petco Park.
But after ripping a sharp ground ball to the right side, which was gloved by a diving Jake Cronenworth, Soto tried to sprint down the line but did not feel in a good spot to remain in the game for the Mets.
"It was a tough moment. Just tried to calm down and see if it goes away," Soto said after the Mets' 7-1 loss to the Padres. "Definitely when I swung, the last moment, I tried to run and tried to push and couldn’t do it. We'll just take our time and see how it goes. At the end, we decided to not keep pushing."
What is Juan Soto's status?
Soto was removed from the game in right field before the start of the bottom of the fourth inning and diagnosed with a left foot contusion. X-rays came back negative and Soto is considered day-to-day.
"Not a good feeling, especially when you watch him go down like that and it looks like he’s in a lot of pain there," Carlos Mendoza said. "Then, he hits that ball and he looks uncomfortable running down the line.
"The first thing the trainer’s telling me is I got to go out there, and I gotta take X-rays here. You’re kind of just holding your breath there. And then once I got the news, obviously a sense of relief there, but it’s day to day."
Mendoza said that he was told by the Mets' training staff that additional imaging would not be necessary. Soto's availability for Wednesday's series finale in San Diego will boil down to how the outfielder feels on Wednesday morning.
"It’s too early to tell. Usually when you get it like that, and he got it good, it’s usually maybe a couple of days," Mendoza said. "We just got to see how he responds and he wakes up tomorrow morning and we’ll go from there."
How was Juan Soto feeling after the game?
Soto was slightly more optimistic.
"I think it’s gonna be good. We just got to get the swelling down," Soto said, while acknowledging the foot felt numb and a little stiff after the game. "When the swelling goes down, I think we’re gonna be fine. The X-rays are negative, so it’s a good sign."
Soto has only missed one game this season — a scheduled off day on May 14 against the Pirates leading into an off day and the Subway Series.
In 107 games this season, Soto is slashing .248/.382/.488 with a team-high 25 home runs, along with 62 RBI, 75 runs and a career-high 15 stolen bases.
If Soto is to miss time, Jeff McNeil and Starling Marte would be the likeliest players to receive reps in right field. Marte played three innings in right field on Tuesday for the first time since being activated off the injured list with a right knee bruise.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: What NY Mets, Juan Soto said about left foot injury, what to expect
Category: Baseball
