Juan Soto’s first return to Yankee Stadium since his shocking offseason departure didn’t just disappoint – it ignited doubts about his mindset, commitment, and future in Flushing.
The Mets’ $765 million superstar endured a brutal homecoming in the Subway Series over the weekend, greeted not with cheers, but with the full force of Yankees fans’ scorn.
Soto went just 1-for-10 across the three-game set, and his body language turned more despondent by the day.
“The man is downright miserable,” Bob Klapsich of NJ.com reported. “Although Soto said he was ready for the homecoming, he was shell-shocked by the time Sunday night rolled around. Three sell-out crowds broke him.”
Soto’s frustration came to a head on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball, when he backed out of an in-game interview at the last minute after agreeing to be mic’d up in the second inning.
“He’d agreed to be (mic’d) up by ESPN in the second inning, but changed his mind minutes before the game,” Klapsich added. “Most major leaguers jump at the chance for the easy Q-A on a national broadcast.
“They’re designed to make the players look good. The fact that Soto blew off the network was only the first sign of his darkening state of mind.”
After the loss, Soto reportedly left Yankee Stadium without speaking to reporters.
“These are troubling signs for the Mets’ hierarchy,” Klapsich continued. “I’m told they’re concerned about Soto’s lack of enthusiasm for his new team. The only time Soto seemed happy this weekend was while he interacted with Judge, Aaron Boone and Jazz Chisholm during batting practice.
“As I said, I’m no mind reader, but my hunch is that not only does Soto miss the Yankees, the permanence of his decision is sinking in. Soto is staring at another 14-plus years in Flushing.”
The 26-year-old Soto signed a record-shattering 15-year deal with the Mets this offseason after Steve Cohen’s front office outbid the Yankees in a move that sent shockwaves across New York baseball.
However, the early returns – both on and off the field – have been rocky to say the least.
Last night in Boston, Soto again found himself under major scrutiny after yet another ugly example of his lack of hustle.
With the Mets trailing the Red Sox 3-1 in the sixth inning, Soto admired what he thought was a home run. The ball, however, hit halfway up the Green Monster, and Soto had to settle for a long single.
“I hit it pretty hard, a really short Green Monster, but tried to get to second but it wasn’t enough,” Soto said.
That excuse didn’t sit well with Mets manager Carlos Mendoza who made it clear the play will be addressed.
“We’ll talk to him about it,” Mendoza said. “Obviously someone gets a hold of one and if he knows when he gets it, it’s Juan… He thought he had it.
“But with the wind and all that, and in this ballpark and anywhere, but in particular in this one with that wall right there, you gotta get out of the box. We’ll discuss that.”
Of course, questioning Soto’s effort has become a reoccurring theme this season.
In Sunday’s loss to the Yankees, he was slow out of the box on a grounder in the eighth inning. DJ LeMahieu knocked the ball down but couldn’t cleanly glove it. By the time Soto began to sprint, it was too late – he was thrown out at first.
Despite the criticism, Soto defended his effort. “I think I’ve been hustling pretty hard. If you saw it today, you could tell,” he said.
Soto finished Monday’s game 1-for-4, grounding into his ninth double play of the season and bringing his average to .246.
Over his last eight games, he’s batting .138 (4-for-29) with just three runs scored. While he’s still getting on base at a .376 clip and holds an .815 OPS, the Mets are undoubtedly expecting more from the face of their franchise.
Soto does have an opt-out after the 2029 season, though exercising it would mean walking away from $460 million. For now, it’s up to the Mets to steady their $765 million man.
In fairness, Soto has 14 more years to change the narrative about his lack of effort. But one thing is for sure, Mets fans are growing more and more frustrated by the day.
What are your thoughts on Soto’s 2025 season? … Did the Mets make a massive mistake signing him to the historic contract???
