New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto was removed from the first inning of Friday night’s game against the San Francisco Giants after experiencing calf tightness, and is scheduled to undergo an MRI on Saturday.
“There’s obviously concern. Every time you send a player for an MRI and those areas, the calf area, could be tricky,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “We just got to wait, but obviously concerned.”
Soto appeared to grimace as he was running from first to third and Mendoza said Soto’s calf continued to get tight when he was standing on third base. New York’s coaching staff noticed something was off when Soto attempted to run home on a ground ball to the pitcher.
Soto was replaced by Tyrone Taylor in left field.
Soto, in his second season with the Mets after signing a 15-year, $765 million contract – the largest in pro sports history – played in 160 games in 2025. He finished third in NL MVP voting, hitting a career-high 43 home runs with 105 RBIs and an NL-best 38 stolen bases, but the Mets failed to reach the playoffs.
Soto played right field last season but shifted to left for 2026 with top prospect Carson Benge stepping into an everyday role in right to start the campaign. If Soto were to miss time, the Mets would likely lean on Taylor heavily in a corner outfield spot, perhaps utilizing Brett Baty in the outfield as well, despite his inexperience.
“You never want to lose a guy like that. I don’t know how bad it is yet, but I know he works extremely hard and is going to get himself back as soon as possible,” second baseman Marcus Semien said. “The good thing is we have a deep group. The guys on the bench should be starting on this team and somebody else to going to get a chance. We just try and hold it down while he’s out.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Juan Soto injury update and news: Mets’ star status heading for MRI
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