This story was excerpted from Anthony DiComo’s Mets Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
NEW YORK -- No one around the Mets is thrilled that Juan Soto is on the injured list with a right calf strain, which should keep him sidelined for two to three weeks. Losing your best player is never ideal.
Still, it’s too early in the season for any singular injury to sink the Mets, who are plenty deep enough to weather this storm. (Need evidence? Look only to their 4-1 record since Soto limped off the field last Friday.) One silver lining of Soto’s absence is that it has opened opportunities for others such as Ronny Mauricio, who contributed a walk-off hit in his first game back in the Majors.
Here are three other, perhaps less obvious, effects of Soto’s injury:
Mark Vientos is going to play nearly every day (for as long as he deserves to)
Considering one is an outfielder and the other is an infielder, Soto’s absence wouldn’t necessarily affect Vientos. It does in this case because with Soto sidelined, the Mets have pivoted to using Brett Baty almost exclusively in right field. That’s freed up first-base reps for Vientos on a near-daily basis, or DH opportunities if Jorge Polanco starts playing some first again.
Consider it a notable change of circumstances for Vientos, who made the Opening Day roster off a questionable Spring Training in part because he was out of Minor League options. Over the first four games of the regular season, Vientos received just one plate appearance. But he has since started eight consecutive games and should continue to play as long as he hits.
That much hasn’t been a problem for Vientos, whose improved plate approach has resulted in a .956 OPS through a dozen team games. Soto’s absence should give Vientos a longer runway to prove he belongs.
Carson Benge could have a bit more time to prove himself
Things haven’t gone swimmingly for Benge, who snapped an 0-for-24 skid Wednesday with a ninth-inning single. But Soto’s absence, combined with Benge’s defensive skillset, may result in continued opportunities for the rookie.
Longer term, veteran Minor League signee Tommy Pham is ramping up with plans to be ready by the middle of this month. (Pham was slated to debut Wednesday for Single-A St. Lucie before that game was postponed due to weather.) If Benge continues to struggle at the plate while Pham proves effective in the Minors, it could prompt the Mets to make a change. For now, though, Benge will continue to play.
Soto probably won’t win NL MVP
Although Shohei Ohtani was always going to be a problem for him, Soto profiled as one of a handful of players who could realistically unseat him for the National League’s most prestigious award. That, however, was contingent upon Soto playing nearly every day -- something he can no longer do. Even if he recovers on the quicker end of his timeline, Soto will dip under 150 games for the first time in his career (not counting the pandemic-shortened 2020 season and his partial rookie year in 2018).
That matters. Outside of Ohtani, who won the American League award as a two-way player in 2023, the last MVP to appear in fewer than 150 games was Bryce Harper in 2021. (He played in 141 that year.) Games played is one of the few listed criteria for MVP eligibility, which is why pitchers rarely win the award.
While it would still be possible for Soto to win MVP with 140-something games, his margin for error has grown much slimmer. And if his absence lingers or if he suffers another injury, Soto would be left with virtually no chance to take home the hardware.