Soto\u2019s plan was to undergo a strength test on the calf with the team\u2019s training staff before Saturday\u2019s game against the Giants.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think we\u2019re going to run or anything like that, but we\u2019re going to see how much strength I have and how much I can push off it coming out, compared to [Friday],\u201d Soto said.<\/p>\n
Soto, according to manager Carlos Mendoza, will be evaluated Tuesday before the Mets begin a new homestand. The Mets play their series finale against the Giants on Sunday and have a day off.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll give it 48-72 hours, see how it continues to progress,\u201d Mendoza said. \u201cI was surprised when I saw him today, the way he was moving around, but [calf injuries] are tricky, so we\u2019ll wait and continue to call it \u2018day by day\u2019 until we have to make a decision.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mendoza noted the team could backdate an injured list stint for Soto to the day after he last appeared in a game.<\/p>\n
![\"Juan](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/new-york-mets-left-fielder-124981341_998418.jpg\")
Juan Soto (22) reacts on a call strike against the San Francisco Giants during the first inning at Oracle Park. Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re going to have to be really careful with him,\u201d Mendoza said. \u201cThe good news is how he\u2019s feeling and the feedback that we\u2019re getting from him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Soto opened the season with at least one hit in each of the team\u2019s first eight games and owns a .928 OPS with one homer.<\/p>\n
Durability has hardly been an issue throughout his career \u2014 he has played at least 150 games in his seven full seasons, excluding pandemic-shortened 2020. Last year, he played 160 games for the Mets after signing a record $765 million contract with the club.<\/p>\n
Mendoza said discussions have not started about options to replace Soto on the roster if he\u2019s placed on the IL.<\/p>\n
Tyrone Taylor is a defensive specialist with limited offensive upside. Mendoza could also move Carson Benge to left field and begin playing Brett Baty regularly in right, but that would require using Mark Vientos every day as either the first baseman or DH. <\/p>\n
The equation is muddled by Jorge Polanco\u2019s left Achilles tendinitis, which placed him on the bench in two of the past four games before he returned as the DH on Saturday. The Mets recently signed Tommy Pham to a minor league deal, but the veteran outfielder is still ramping up in Port St. Lucie.<\/p>\n
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Nick Morabito is considered an intriguing young prospect, but would the Mets want two rookies \u2014 Benge being the other \u2014 in the same outfield? The same question holds true regarding Ryan Clifford, who would bring a potentially powerful left-handed bat to the lineup. <\/p>\n
The Mets are carrying Jared Young on the 26-man roster, but his value remains as a bench player \u2014 not an everyday option. Young started in left field Saturday. MJ Melendez, who is playing for Triple-A Syracuse, is another outfielder with major league experience.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think Juan is one of the key pieces to this lineup, but at the same time this is the type of team that if you look around has a lot of pieces that can go out there and step up,\u201d Francisco Alvarez said Friday. \u201cI think it\u2019s unfortunate that he hurt his calf and it [would be] tough to play without him but if guys step up, I think we can be OK.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SAN FRANCISCO \u2014 The Mets appear to have avoided a worst-case scenario with Juan Soto\u2019s right calf, but…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":663881,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[2396],"tags":[5,134,101,4,1690,61,2548,4203,185],"class_list":{"0":"post-663880","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-york-mets","8":"tag-baseball","9":"tag-juan-soto","10":"tag-mets","11":"tag-mlb","12":"tag-new-york","13":"tag-new-york-mets","14":"tag-newyork","15":"tag-newyorkmets","16":"tag-sports"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/116349812465613010","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/663880","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=663880"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/663880\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/663881"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=663880"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=663880"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=663880"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}