Juan Soto stands by his hustle after more curious baserunning as Mets plan to talk with star
Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Mike Puma about the inside buzz on the Mets.BOSTON — The Mets have sloppiness to clean up, but Juan Soto doesn’t view his level of hustle as part of the problem.For a second straight night, the star Mets outfielder was caught in quicksand running to first base.
This time it was a shot he thought would clear the Green Monster for a homer but hit the wall, leaving him with a single in the sixth inning due to his late departure from the batter’s box.Soto eventually reclaimed the base with a steal of second, but it was poor optics for a player who hasn’t exactly carried the Mets offense, including an anemic performance during the Subway Series in his return to Yankee Stadium last weekend.After the Mets’ 3-1 loss to the Red Sox at Fenway Park, he was asked if he needed to be more aware of running hard to first base.“I think I have been hustling very hard,” Soto said.“If you saw it today, you could tell.”A night earlier, Soto hit a grounder to second base in The Bronx and slowed to a jog on a ball that was bobbled.
Soto restarted his jets, but was too late to beat the throw.Though Soto doesn’t see an issue, manager Carlos Mendoza views it differently.“We’ll talk to him about it,” Mendoza said.“Tonight, obviously when someone gets a hold of [a pitch] and knows when he gets it, it’s Juan.
He thought he had it, but with the wind … but in this ballpark and anywhere in particular, with that wall right there, you have got to get out of the box.So, yeah, we’ll discuss that.”Soto’s hustle (or lack thereof) wasn’t the only eyesore for the Mets, who in losing for the fourth time in five games were 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position.
The Mets have been limited to three runs or fewer in six straight games.Soto, who finished 1-for-10 last weekend against the Yankees, hit into a double play to kill a third-inning rally Monday.“I feel like we ...