Fear gripped the New York Mets fans on Tuesday night at Petco Park when their star outfielder, Juan Soto, was hit by a foul ball on his left foot during the fourth inning. Although the Dominican showed admirable resilience by returning to the batter’s box, the discomfort was evident, forcing him to leave the game shortly afterwards. The Mets have provided an update on the status of their star, diagnosing a contusion and offering a clearer picture of his availability.
The incident occurred when Soto, after receiving the heavy impact on his left foot, crouched down in pain on the grass of the field. Despite the discomfort, he got up to complete his at-bat, hitting a hard grounder. However, when he tried to sprint to first base, “he didn’t feel in good enough shape to stay in the game for the Mets,” as he himself would later relate.
Juan Soto’s diagnosis
After being removed from the game, Juan Soto was diagnosed with a left foot contusion. The good news for the Mets and their fans came shortly afterwards, as X-rays were negative, ruling out any bone fractures. It was therefore a call for calm and his return will depend on how his recovery progresses.
Soto himself spoke about the situation after the Mets’ 7-1 loss to the Padres: “It was a tough moment. I just tried to calm down and see if it would pass. I couldn’t do it (swing and run). We’ll take our time and see how it goes. In the end, we decided not to keep pushing. I think it’s going to be fine. We just have to get the swelling down… The X-rays are negative, so that’s a good sign”.
Problems for Carlos Mendoza
Manager Carlos Mendoza also expressed his initial concern, admitting that “it’s not a good feeling, especially when you see him go down like that and he looks like he’s in a lot of pain… he looks uncomfortable running down the line”
After receiving the news of the negative X-rays, Mendoza felt “obviously a relief,” although he reiterated that the situation is “day to day.” The training staff has indicated that no additional imaging will be necessary and Soto’s availability for the final game of the series in San Diego on Wednesday will be decided based on how the outfielder feels in the morning. “It’s too early to tell. Usually when you get hit like that, and he got hit pretty well, it’s usually maybe a couple of days,” Mendoza added.
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