NEW YORK — Juan Soto is back in the New York Mets' lineup — and boy do they need him.
The star slugger was reinstated from the 10-day injured list with the reeling Mets on a 12-game losing streak heading into Wednesday night's game against the Minnesota Twins at Citi Field.
“I don’t think it’s going to be any pressure," Soto said. "I’m just going to be myself and be out there, definitely help as much as I can to get out of this and put the team in the right spot again.”
Soto, who missed 15 games with a right calf strain, was set to bat second as the designated hitter.
“It makes a big difference just to add his name in the lineup. But also, I said it yesterday: You can’t put all the pressure on him," manager Carlos Mendoza said. "It’s going to take all of us to get out of this. It’s not just Juan Soto.”
To open a roster spot, third-string catcher Hayden Senger was optioned to triple-A Syracuse following Tuesday night's 5-3 loss to Minnesota.
After beginning the season with baseball's largest opening-day payroll, the Mets entered Wednesday with the worst record in the majors. New York (7-16) had been outscored 67-22 during the skid while batting .194 with a .284 slugging percentage. The slide began with a 7-2 loss to Arizona on April 8.
“I feel like we have a great lineup. We have guys (who) are going through tough times right now. They can’t get a hit or anything, and it’s part of it. We all go through that stuff," Soto said. "But it’s tough when kind of like most of the lineup is going through it. It makes a little hard to win games like that.”
At first, the Mets will be cautious with Soto. He is scheduled to play the outfield Thursday night and then the team will “reassess,” Mendoza said. The four-time All-Star and six-time Silver Slugger Award winner will receive some full days off moving forward.
“We need to be flexible and we have to stay on top of things with him,” Mendoza explained. "If we see that there’s a couple of games, two or three games where he does a lot of running on base, going first to third, first to home, second to home, in the outfield, then we’ll have to adjust. And hopefully that’s the case. That means he’s on base and we’re scoring a lot of runs. So, yeah, I think it’s fluid. But at the same time we just have to be smart with him.”
Soto exited early from a 10-3 victory at San Francisco on April 3, and the Mets won their next three games without him before descending into a tailspin. It's their longest slide since losing 12 straight games in August 2002.
“It’s a little uncomfortable when you see it from the outside,” Soto said. “It’s just a tough time, but we’re going to get out of it.”
New York had not dropped 13 in a row since a 15-game skid in August 1982. The club record is 17 consecutive defeats during the franchise's inaugural season in 1962.
Soto is in the second season of a record $765 million, 15-year contract he signed with the Mets as a free agent in December 2024.
He hit safely in all eight games this season, batting .355 with one homer and five RBIs, before getting hurt while running from first to third on an RBI single by Bo Bichette in the first inning against the Giants on April 3.
Soto did not go on a minor league rehab assignment to prepare for his return, instead going through workouts at Citi Field while the Mets were on the road last week.
“Felt like he got what he needed here," Mendoza said. "Plenty of at-bats. We brought a lot of pitchers in here. We were able to simulate a lot of the things that you do on a rehab assignment.”
Soto said he's 100 per cent healthy. He and Mendoza both insisted the left fielder is not rushing back any earlier than expected.
“Having him back in the lineup’s got nothing to do with the stretch we’re in right now. From the very beginning, we said it: `We need this guy right.' We were not going to rush," Mendoza said. "He’s too important for this team. And especially when you’re dealing with an injury like that, there’s no reason for us to take any risk. So, no, I think it’s just, he got to a place, he’s in a good spot right now ready to go and that’s why he’s in the lineup.”
The stint on the IL was the first for Soto since 2021 with Washington, when a strained left shoulder sidelined him from April 20 through May 3.
“I’m in a good place," Soto said. "I think I did what I was told by the trainers and I followed the plan and I feel really good.”
