Five-time All-Star Juan Soto is back in the Mets lineup, the club announced Saturday.
Eric Wagaman was sent down to Triple-A in the corresponding move, with Soto’s activation coming without a rehab stint. Soto has been sidelined with a calf injury since July 24. The Mets have been holding their own in Soto’s absence, posting a 17-14 record without the slugger in the lineup. Unsurprisingly, interim manager Andy Green has Soto slated for the DH spot as he works back from the calf strain.
Soto has had
an uncharacteristic injury-filled season, hitting the IL with leg injuries multiple times. He’s missed 51 games so far this season, almost double the amount of games he’s missed in the last five seasons combined (27). When healthy, Soto has been his usual dominant self, posting 2.7 WAR in his 84 games played.
The Mets get Soto back in the middle of a three-game losing streak. Inserting Soto into the lineup could help the team get back on track after having its most respectable stretch of the season following the August 3 trade deadline.
The Mets star duo of Soto and Francisco Lindor have rarely been healthy at the same time this season, but both will hopefully be able to stay on the field for the team’s final month of games.
New York hosts the Astros today at 4:10 PM EDT, with rookie of the year contender Nolan McLean taking the mound.
