Major Juan Soto Announcement Made on Saturday originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto is in the first season of his historic 15-year, $765 million contract. Joining the Mets after one season with the New York Yankees, in which he helped them win an AL pennant, Soto has started slow with his new team.
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For his career, Soto’s 159 OPS+ is tied for third among active MLB players with Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani. His .417 career on-base percentage (OBP) leads active hitters. This season, the four-time All-Star owns career-lows in both of those categories, as he carries a 130 OPS+ and .367 OBP into Saturday’s game against the Colorado Rockies.
New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto (22)Brad Mills-Imagn Images
While Soto’s numbers are down this season, they still translate to well-above league average by most metrics, and are part of what has been a historic career trajectory. On Saturday, it was announced by MLB’s Sarah Langs that Soto is about to enter legendary company.
Sitting on 999 career games, Soto will appear in his 1,000th on Saturday. He will join baseball icons Ted Williams and Frank Thomas as just the third player in MLB history with at least 200 homers and 800 walks by their 1,000th game.
Still just 26 years old, Soto is already a four-time All-Star and five-time Silver Slugger. He also has a batting title and World Series championship. Looking to continue building this resume in New York, Soto may not be off to the kind of start fans are used to, but history suggests he should be just fine.
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The Mets and Rockies will begin game two of their three-game series on Saturday evening at 9:40 p.m. ET.
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This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 7, 2025, where it first appeared.