Tight forearm limiting Soto to DH duties for now; Robert (back) day to day

NEW YORK -- As if things aren’t going poorly enough for the Mets, they are operating with their best player at less than 100%.

Juan Soto is dealing with left forearm tightness, which is why he has yet to appear in the outfield since returning from the injured list last Wednesday. Separately, fellow outfielder Luis Robert Jr. is nursing a bout of lower back tightness that kept him out of Tuesday’s starting lineup against the Nationals.

Soto’s injury, at least, appears less serious. He spent some time throwing in the outfield on Tuesday afternoon and could return to his position within a matter of days, manager Carlos Mendoza said. In the interim, he will continue to DH, as the forearm tightness does not bother him while swinging. Asked about his injury, Soto brushed it off, saying: “It’s good, it’s good.”

Soto began feeling forearm discomfort last Friday, and it did not improve despite a rainout the following day. He underwent an MRI exam on Tuesday that revealed no structural damage.

“He’s going to continue to get treatment,” Mendoza said. “He’s going to continue to throw. And hopefully, he can play the outfield here in the next few days.”

Still, any injury to Soto is concerning for the Mets. The team had just three players in Tuesday’s starting lineup with OPS marks over .650: Soto (.831), Francisco Alvarez (.760) and MJ Melendez (.878). Earlier this month, Soto missed 2 1/2 weeks to a strained right calf muscle. The Mets have had both Soto and Francisco Lindor in the lineup together for seven full games this season, and Lindor is set to miss another month or more rehabbing a left calf strain of his own.

When Soto returned from the IL, Mets officials drew up plans to alternate his time between DH and left field, thereby easing him back into action. But Soto has yet to play a single inning in left.

“Nobody’s going to feel sorry for us,” Mendoza said. “But we’ve got to keep going. We’re going to get hit hard. It’s adversity. But we’ve got to keep going, that’s the bottom line.”

Compared to Soto, the news was less encouraging for Robert, who had cooled significantly following a hot start to his Mets tenure. Although New York does not plan to send Robert for an MRI, his back tightness kept him out of the starting lineup both for Game 2 of Sunday’s doubleheader against the Rockies and again on Tuesday against the Nationals. Robert produced a .922 OPS with two homers and 11 walks over his first 13 games, but he has a .405 OPS with no homers and two walks in 12 contests since.

“We’ll see,” Mendoza said. “The next 48 hours, if it doesn’t get better, obviously we will have to move forward. But as of right now, they are not considering [additional testing].”