The Arizona Diamondbacks won’t have to face one of the best hitters in the sport when they travel to Citi Field in New York to face the Mets on the road.
Superstar outfielder Juan Soto, who had gone down with an injury earlier in New York’s series against the San Francisco Giants, has been placed on the Injured List due to a right calf strain. This will keep Soto unavailable for the duration of the series with Arizona.
Soto is expected to miss around 2-3 weeks worth of action.
Clearly, an injury to a star of Soto’s caliber is not a positive thing for the game of baseball, Soto himself and the fans in attendance — New York- or Arizona-supporting alike.
But not having to face one of the premier hitters in baseball is certainly something that will benefit an inconsistent Diamondbacks pitching staff.
Diamondbacks won’t have to face Juan Soto
Mar 29, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets left fielder Juan Soto (22) reacts after hitting an RBI single against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the fifth inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Surprisingly enough, Soto has just a .200 career batting average in his last 50 career games facing the D-backs. The two sides were well-acquainted while Soto was a member of Arizona’s NL West rival San Diego Padres.
But Soto has terrorized the Diamondbacks while on the Mets. In the two team’s last five matchups, Soto hit .313 with four homers. Not once, but twice did Soto crush two homers in a game against Arizona in the 2025 season.
Soto had been off to a hot start thus far in the 2026 season, slashing .355/.412/.516 with one homer in his first eight games of action.
It’s not as if the Mets do not have a tough lineup outside of Soto. But Soto’s presence in the New York lineup can often be an intimidating factor to a pitcher.
Arizona’s pitching staff needs all the help it can get at this stage. Not having to figure out how to pitch to Soto will take a bit of a weight off the shoulders of the staff.
The Diamondbacks will play three games against the Mets in the coming week. Due to recent weather concerns, two of the games have been pushed up to an earlier scheduled first pitch time.
Once Arizona finishes its three-game series with the Mets, the road trip will continue with a trip to Philadelphia and Baltimore to face the Phillies and Orioles. The D-backs will play nine games in nine days on the road before finally coming back to Chase Field on April 17.