NEW YORK -- A few hours after the Mets lost to the Twins at Citi Field on Tuesday night, manager Carlos Mendoza was writing out his starting lineup for Wednesday. And one can imagine the skipper’s reaction when he inserted Juan Soto’s name for the first time since April 3 against the Giants.
Soto missed the last 15 games because of a right calf strain. During his absence, the Mets were 3-12, including their recent 12-game losing streak.
Soto is expected to provide the power that has been missing from the lineup. In eight games, Soto had a slash line of .355/.412/.516 with a home run, while the Mets entered Wednesday ranked 30th in OPS (.617), 27th in walks (67) and tied for 25th in batting average (.222).
“To be able to put his name [in the lineup], he just gives you a different look,” Mendoza said. “But it’s going to take all of us to get out of [this losing streak]. It’s not just Juan Soto.”
In Wednesday’s 3-2 victory over Minnesota to end New York’s skid, Soto went 1-for-3 with a walk. His presence in the lineup will make a difference for a team that has had problems offensively the last two weeks.
“He is a big part of this team,” said teammate Luke Weaver. “He has a nice personality. He is funny. He brings such a good vibe to this clubhouse. Lastly, he is just a good baseball player, obviously.
“We are grinding. He wants to jump into the action. He wants to do his thing. I [reminded] him yesterday, ‘You don’t have to become a superhero. If you want to, you can. But don’t think you have to. We are going to support you and do the things we need to [do]. You are pretty good at what you do.’ We just look forward to having it on a daily basis.”
The Mets plan to take it easy with Soto because he didn’t have a rehab assignment before coming off the IL. However, he did have simulated games at Citi Field. He was in the lineup at designated hitter against Minnesota on Wednesday, and he will play the outfield on Thursday. After that, the team will reassess its plans for him in future games. Mendoza hasn’t ruled out Soto taking some days off.
“We need to be flexible. We have to stay on top of things with him,” Mendoza said. “If we see there are a couple of games -- two or three games -- where there is a lot of running, then we’ll have to adjust. Hopefully, that’s the case. That means he is on base and we are scoring a lot of runs. It’s fluid. At the same time, we have to be smart with him.”
Soto expressed how he felt about being back in the lineup and not being able to help the team during the losing streak.
“Oh, man, to be back on the field is great. That’s why we do this -- to be out there, to share a good time with your teammates and … play the game you love,” Soto said. “It’s tough to see [the losing streak]. It’s really uncomfortable to see it from the outside. … I trust what we have, the talent that we have. It’s a tough time, but we are going to get out of it.”
With Soto back in the fold, the Mets optioned catcher Hayden Senger to Triple-A Syracuse following Tuesday’s game against the Twins. Senger has yet to play in a Major League game this season.