Juan

Soto

Soto served as the Mets’ DH. Manager Carlos Mendoza said pregame that Soto would play the outfield on Thursday, but also that his workload would include days off.

Manager Carlos Mendoza said that Soto would go through a pregame workout on Wednesday that would determine his availability for the game. It seems the workout went just fine, and Soto is in the lineup at designated hitter and hitting second. The team will manage his calf injury with some starts at DH and some days off in the coming weeks, and fantasy manager should expect a little bit less running, but he needs to be in all lineups.

Mendoza confirmed multiple reports earlier on Tuesday that Soto would return for Wednesday’s contest after missing just over two weeks with a right calf strain. Fantasy managers should prepare to have him back in their lineups. His return will provide a much-needed lift for the free-falling Mets, who have lost 11 straight games.

Soto has missed the majority of April while recovering from his strained right calf, and the Mets have clearly missed the slugger over the past few weeks. The 27-year-old may get some days off to stay fresh and avoid an aggravation, but fantasy managers need to be prepared to have Soto in their lineup starting Wednesday.

Buried in that positive news is the somewhat-ominous “the Mets will want to do a supplemental MRI to ensure he’s OK before activating him.” Soto’s progression to return from his calf injury has appeared normal from the outside. Assuming things check out, he’ll be back at some point next week.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza told reporters Soto won’t return until at least the club’s next homestand, which begins next Tuesday against the Brewers. The 27-year-old fantasy superstar is working his way back from a calf strain that put him on the shelf back on April 3. It’s possible he’ll skip a minor league rehab assignment altogether and jump right back into New York’s lineup next week.

Soto has been participating in baseball activities, including batting practice in an indoor cage, but he had not begun a running progression until Tuesday. Soto strained his calf on April 3rd and was expected to only be out for three weeks. Mets manager Carlos Mendoza hinted that the team would get “creative” with Soto’s rehab, which might mean that they simulate at-bats for him and don’t send him out on a rehab assignment. We’ll keep you posted, but Soto could return before the month is out.

Mendoza added that Soto has yet to start a running progression, but they’re still expecting him to be ready to return before the end of the month from a calf strain that put him on the injured list last week. The 27-year-old generational talent was hitting .355 (11-for-31) with one homer and five RBI through eight games prior to the injury. There should be a definitive return date once he resumes baseball activities and is ready for a rehab assignment.

Soto said over the weekend that he believed he could avoid the injured list and called himself “day-to-day.” Unfortunately, the injury was more severe than that. The team has said that a typical return for this type of injury is between two and three weeks. The Mets would like Brett Baty to take most of Soto’s innings in left field, but Baty jammed his left thumb on Saturday night and didn’t play on Sunday. Baty was allegedly able to pinch hit, so he should be good to go, which would also open up first base at-bats for Mark Vientos, who has been swinging a hot bat lately.

It’s the second straight start that Soto has missed after suffering a mild right calf strain during Friday’s contest. It’s encouraging that he has yet to be placed on the injured list, but that could change if he’s not ready to go for Tuesday’s series opener against the Diamondbacks.