Inside The Mets

Juan Soto's explicit 2-word message about Mets RISP woes says it all

New York Mets slugger Juan Soto only needed two words to explain his struggles hitting with runners in scoring position.
Grant Young|
May 7, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto (22) reacts after striking out against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the third inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images
May 7, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto (22) reacts after striking out against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the third inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images | Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

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Given how great the New York Mets have been to this point in the season, it's staggering to consider just how bad they've been when it comes to hitting with runners in scoring position.

According to a June 6 article from Mike Puma of the New York Post, the Mets entered their June 6 game against the Colorado Rockies with a collective .218 batting average with runners in scoring position (RISP), which is 27th in MLB. They then proceeded to go 2-for-15 and strand 12 runners on base against the Rockies, despite still securing a victory.

Slugger Juan Soto has been particularly abysmal in these situations (he's hitting 7-for-51 (.137) this season with RISP), which is why his hitting woes feel somewhat magnified. And in the aforementioned New York Post article, Soto sent a blunt two-word message about his struggles to this point.

“S*** happens,” Soto is quoted as saying. He later added, “I try to do the same thing," when there are runners in scoring position compared to when there aren't.

Read more: Yankees announcer calls Mets fans 'gnats' amid Juan Soto rant

Mets hitting coach Jeremy Barnes also got honest about this Mets' shortcoming, saying, “It’s frustrating. When you look at it, the approach doesn’t change. A lot of the underlying things don’t change. On one hand, I know it’s a very volatile stat and you can have massive swings from one year to the next, but it’s something we would like to get better at.

“We’re definitely talking about it. I don’t think there is a black and white, ‘If we do this, it’s going to work.’ We understand how we’re getting pitched. We understand the situation. We have just got to come through. It’s something we are going to continue to monitor and work on and try to drive through," he added.

The good news is that if the Mets solve these RISP issues, then their offense will be even more potent than it already is.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers the New York Mets and Women’s Basketball for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco, where he also played Division 1 baseball for five years. He believes Mark Teixeira should have been a first ballot MLB Hall of Fame inductee.

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