Juan Soto failed to hustle out of the batter’s box for a second consecutive at-bat, and former Mets pitcher Ron Darling took notice.
One night after he did not sprint toward first on a game-ending double-play ball, the Mets’ $765 million star followed Francisco Lindor’s leadoff homer Saturday afternoon at Yankee Stadium by hitting a grounder to second base.
Anthony Volpe, a converted shortstop still adjusting to second base, bobbled the grounder. Soto then accelerated down the line, but Volpe recovered in time to narrowly retire the Mets designated hitter at first.
Darling stopped short of a full-blown criticism, but he made clear that Soto should have been running hard from the start.
“If you’re not going to run, things like that are going to happen,” Darling said on SNY. “Bobbled. If you don’t run out of the box, then you end up being embarrassed. DHing today because last night, I don’t know what his physical ailments are; he can’t play left field in this ballpark right now.”
Soto also appeared not to give a full effort on Ryan McMahon’s single to left in the eighth inning Friday night, allowing a run to score and helping the Yankees extend their lead to 6-3. New York went on to win, 6-4.
“He had two balls drop in front of him last night. If you do the math, it might have cost the Mets the game,” play-by-play announcer Gary Cohen added.
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Cohen also pointed to the injuries Soto has dealt with in “both calves” this season.
Those issues could be limiting his mobility or making him more hesitant to run at full speed.
Soto spent two and a half weeks on the injured list in April with a right calf strain, a stretch in which the Mets endured a season-defining 12-game losing streak without him.
He then missed 31 more games over July and August with a Grade 2 left calf strain. Soto returned to the lineup on Aug. 29.
He seemed to put any questions about his calf to rest when he hustled out a double in the top of the fourth inning, tagged up to third and then scored on a Carson Benge single.
“He showed no issues with his calf,” Keith Henrndez said. “He ran like the devil on that double.”
Soto then mashed a mammoth solo home run in the seventh to extend the Mets’ lead to 6-2.