The New York Mets have given up their lead in the National League East division as they’ve gone just .500 in their last 12 games.
And while there are plenty of things to blame for the mediocre stretch, something hasn’t seemed quite right with Juan Soto since the Subway Series against his former team, the New York Yankees.
With all eyes on Soto during that series, he went 1-10, backed out of a commitment to wear a microphone for ESPN and demonstrated some concerning body language. His season slash line is now down to .224/.352/.393, well below his career averages.
As his 15-year contract with the Mets gets off to a slow start, frustration among Mets fans turned into some boos in a recent game against the Chicago White Sox.
“The Mets were in the process of blowing a sweep of the pitiful White Sox, the offense was nowhere to be found and Juan Soto had just failed to get the ball out of infield in his fifth plate appearance,” Bob Klapisch reported for NJ.com. “The booing was tentative at first, but gained momentum as Soto walked back to the dugout. … They proceeded to let Soto have it.”
Soto has largely avoided the media during this slump and has offered short sound bites when he is interviewed. Responding to Klapisch’s question about the cause for his struggles, he offered more of the same with a two-word response: “I’m fine.”
Klapisch added that Soto ducked reporters by leaving the clubhouse before they entered after the White Sox game. But one of his teammates, third baseman Mark Vientos, offered a little more insight into what might be going on.
“I think he’s trying to do too much,” Vientos explained. “He cares, he just wants to be better. And I think he might be putting a little too much on his shoulders.”
With a lot of season left and 14 more after this, Soto certainly has time to figure it out for the Mets.
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