The Mets have officially placed Juan Soto on the 10-day IL, retroactive to April 4, with a right calf strain, and have recalled Ronny Mauricio to take his place on the roster. The Mets stated that a typical return to play is two to three weeks, which puts him on pace to return some time during the team’s nine-game homestand later this month.
The Mets and Soto were hoping to avoid an IL stint after the star outfielder injured his calf running first to third on a single during the team’s Friday night
win against the Giants. However, that was not to be, as Soto will now sit on the sidelines for the time being. Soto sat out on Saturday and Sunday, and the club wanted to see how he felt before making any final decisions. This is Soto’s first trip to the injured list since April 2021, as he has proved to be one of MLB’s most durable players—he has appeared in at least 150 games during each full season played between 2019 and 2025.
The offense performed well in his absence, winning all three games he missed—we’ll count Friday, since he left in the first inning. The offense erupted for a combined 24 runs across the three wins, which is a good sign, and they’re going to need that to continue for at least a couple more weeks. Still, missing 2-3 weeks, especially in April, is a better outcome than was reasonable at the time of Soto’s exit.
For the time being, the Mets will continue to use a number of players to fill the void. Jared Young, for example, started in left on Sunday and went 3-for-3. Brett Baty will also see time in left, while continuing to move around the field and play some right and first. Tyrone Taylor, who played right field on Sunday (with Carson Benge in center) could also appear in left if needed. All that is to say that the club will look to make due, and if you’re going to lose a player of Soto’s caliber at any point in the season, April is preferable to the summer months.
