The boos raining down on Juan Soto at Citi Field during the New York Mets’ 9-4 loss to the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday afternoon were deafening, according to David Lennon of Newsday. It was “perhaps the loudest he’s heard” all season, a stark reminder of the pressure mounting on the 26-year-old outfielder who’s struggling to live up to his massive 15-year, $765 million contract. Soto went 0-for-4 with a walk in that game, extending a slump that’s seen him hit just .224 with eight homers and 25 RBI in his first 55 games. His last home run? Way back on May 9. Against a White Sox team that’s limping along at 18-34, it’s a performance that’s got Mets fans on edge.
But it’s not just the fans who are noticing. Teammates and manager Carlos Mendoza are rallying around Soto, trying to ease the burden he’s clearly feeling. “I think he’s trying to do too much,” third baseman Mark Vientos told Bob Klapisch of NJ Advance Media. “There’s a lot of talk about his offensive struggles, and that’s all you hear. He cares. He just wants to be better. And I think he might be putting a little too much on his shoulders.” The return of the “Soto shuffle,” that signature move of his, didn’t do much to lighten the load. Instead, it felt like a symbol of the pressure he’s under, especially after a baserunning blunder by Brandon Nimmo cost him a double the night before. It’s baseball, as Mendoza put it, “hard to explain,” but he’s confident. “Too good of a hitter. Too good of a player. He’ll be Juan Soto here,” Mendoza said, per Jerry Beach of the Associated Press.
The numbers tell a story of bad luck mixed with underperformance. Soto’s expected weighted on-base average (xwOBA) of .420 ranks fifth in MLB, trailing only Shohei Ohtani’s league-best .473, according to Baseball Savant. He’s in the 90th percentile in several categories, but his bat speed is down to the 73rd percentile from 94th last year, and he’s hitting 20 percent fewer line drives than he did with the Yankees. It’s a slump that’s puzzling, especially for a player of his caliber. “He sticks to his craft, pays attention to detail,” shortstop Francisco Lindor said, praising Soto’s work ethic. “It’s impressive when one of the elite players in the game stays with his system. Juan has been doing that since day one of spring training.”
But talk is cheap when the boos are loud, and Soto’s got a chance to silence the crowd this weekend against the Colorado Rockies, who are stumbling at 9-47. The Mets, at 34-22, are just two games behind the first-place Philadelphia Phillies (35-19) in the NL East, so every game matters. Soto needs more than just sticking to his system; he needs to deliver. The pressure’s on, and the fans at Citi Field are ready to let him know it. For Soto, it’s about finding that swing again, shaking off the bad luck, and reminding everyone why he’s worth every penny of that contract. The stage is set, and the Rockies are the perfect opponent to turn things around. Let’s see if Soto can rise to the occasion, because if he doesn’t, those boos might just get louder.
