The Mets’ 2026 season is the gift that keeps on giving. In the team’s series-opening loss to the Dodgers last night at Citi Field, Juan Soto was pulled from the game with left calf tightness after just two plate appearances as a designated hitter. The team said that he’ll undergo an MRI today, and interim manager Andy Green acknowledge that it’s possible that Soto lands on the injured list.
Back in early April, Soto suffered a right calf injury and spent three weeks on the injured list. On the same day that he returned, Francisco Lindor suffered a calf injury of his own, one that turned out to be more severe, as he spent two months on the injured list. The fact that the Mets’ two best position players have so rarely played together this season—having come into the year as two of the most durable players in the sport—kind of sums up the season. If both had been healthy all season, you’d have reasonably expected them to combine for something like 11-12 WAR, and here we are in late July with them having combined for just 3.7 fWAR and 3.4 bWAR.
When he has been healthy, Soto has been the best hitter in the National League. In 359 plate appearances, he’s hit .283/.408/.539 with a 159 wRC+. Only two American League hitters—Yordan Alvarez and Ben Rice—have been better by wRC+ at the time of this writing.
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