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Mets Manager Has Plan for Juan Soto After He Didn’t Hustle vs. Red Sox

Carlos Mendoza plans to address Soto not getting out of the box against Boston on Monday.

Liam McKeone

Soto turned a double into a single against the Red Sox on Monday
Soto turned a double into a single against the Red Sox on Monday / John Jones-Imagn Images
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The New York Mets lost to the Boston Red Sox on Monday night, 3-1, and Juan Soto's hustle is once again a talking point.

After the Mets dropped two of three in Soto's return to Yankee Stadium last weekend, the highly-paid superstar was criticized for not hustling to first base on a groundout. He followed that up with another failure to get out of the box on Monday, hitting a high fly ball to left field in Boston that he clearly thought would be a home run; it ended up banging off the Green Monster. Because Soto didn't run after hitting the ball he turned a potential double into a single.

After the game Soto defended himself and said he thinks he's been hustling "pretty hard." His manager does not agree.

Speaking to media following the loss Carlos Mendoza revealed the plan he has with the Mets to address the issue with Soto.

"We'll talk to him about it," Mendoza said. "In this ballpark, anywhere but in particular in this one with that wall right there, you've got to get out of the box. So, yeah. We'll discuss that."

It isn't a great look for the Mets or Soto that the simple concept of hustle has become a talking point less than two months into the 15-year, $765 million deal he signed in the offseason. On the other hand, it's a long season and it's best to address any problem areas as early as possible.

Despite it all, the Mets are one of the best teams in baseball in the young 2025 season, boasting a 29-19 record with another battle against the Red Sox at Fenway Park set for Tuesday night.

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Liam McKeone
LIAM MCKEONE

Liam McKeone is a senior writer for the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has been in the industry as a content creator since 2017, and prior to joining SI in May 2024, McKeone worked for NBC Sports Boston and The Big Lead. In addition to his work as a writer, he has hosted the Press Pass Podcast covering sports media and The Big Stream covering pop culture. A graduate of Fordham University, he is always up for a good debate and enjoys loudly arguing about sports, rap music, books and video games. McKeone has been a member of the National Sports Media Association since 2020.

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