How Juan Soto is Already Strengthening the Mets' Lineup

The Mets have won both of their games since Juan Soto's return, with the offense finally showing life.

Apr 22, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets designated hitter Juan Soto (22) talks to teammates in the dugout during the ninth inning against the Minnesota Twins at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

During the time that Juan Soto was on the injured list with a calf strain, the New York Mets had one of the worst offenses in baseball, if not the worst.

Soto ended up missing 15 games from April 4 to April 21. Over that span, the Mets went 3-12 and suffered their longest losing streak in 24 years, primarily due to a lifeless lineup. As a team, they hit .217/.259/.307 and scored just 40 runs, ranking at or near the bottom in nearly all offensive categories while accumulating -0.7 fWAR.

Fortunately, the Mets activated Soto on Wednesday, which returned their most proficient bat to the lineup. The 27-year-old slugger had gotten off to a great start to the year, collecting a hit in all eight games while slashing .355/.412/.516 in 34 plate appearances.

Of course, Soto is just one player in a nine-man batting order, so expecting him to immediately lead a turnaround would be unrealistic. Mets manager Carlos Mendoza alluded to this earlier, saying, "We cannot put all the pressure on one player."

"Can't put all the pressure on him. When I was making out the lineup last night, just to be able to put his name in there, it just gives you a different look. But it's going to take all of us to get out of it. It's not just Juan Soto"

- Carlos Mendoza pic.twitter.com/sWZF9ESfIu

— SNY (@SNYtv) April 22, 2026

Juan Soto's Presence Has Resulted in Better At-Bats From Teammates

Mendoza is correct in that the Mets can't solely rely on Soto to jump-start the offense. However, the Mets went on to win both of their games against the Minnesota Twins with Soto back in the lineup, and it's not a coincidence at all.

Juan Soto gets his first hit off the IL pic.twitter.com/AvbZJcV64j

— SNY (@SNYtv) April 23, 2026

Thursday's 10-8 victory to claim the series was a perfect example of how Soto transforms the Mets into a completely different team. The left-handed slugger actually didn't contribute too much; he drew two walks, but neither resulted in him scoring a run and he went hitless in three at-bats (although Twins shortstop Brooks Lee took a hit away from him with a good defensive play).

Rather, Soto's teammates in the batter's box have started performing and are putting up dramatically better at-bats. With possibly the most disciplined hitter in baseball now in the lineup, the rest of the Mets are taking more pitches, chasing less, and swinging at pitches they can deal more damage on. Some of the most notable examples are Brett Baty and Bo Bichette.

In the case of Baty, his plate discipline and swing decisions have already looked better over the past two games. Entering Wednesday, Baty drew just one walk all year and had a miserable .214 on-base percentage. But he drew two walks on Wednesday (scoring the winning run after drawing the second) and had two hits on Thursday. The first hit was a three-run homer on a high fastball, and the second hit was a six-pitch battle that ended with a single to spark the game-winning rally. Baty's OPS jumped from .498 to .588 in just two games, although he still has a ways to go to make it truly respectable.

BRETT BATY 3-RUN HOMER! pic.twitter.com/LjORsAV7dp

— SNY (@SNYtv) April 23, 2026

As for Bichette, while he is still very aggressive at the plate, he was moved to the leadoff spot and directly in front of Soto on Wednesday. With Soto's protection, Bichette pounded a leadoff double on Wednesday (Francisco Lindor drove him in shortly) and tallied three hits on Thursday, including the game-winning bases-clearing double. Granted, the double came on a pitch far out of the strike zone, but for a bad-ball hitter like Bichette, it was a pitch he was capable of nearly hitting over the wall.

BO CLEARS THE BASES! 😤 pic.twitter.com/podlPYPVrm

— New York Mets (@Mets) April 24, 2026

A common phrase in baseball is "hitting is infectious", and that is something that applies to Soto's lineup presence. Whenever he's penciled in, the hitters around him have consistently provided better results, even when the 27-year-old slugger doesn't produce himself.

The Mets' lineup is still not in full swing yet, especially with Francisco Lindor now on the injured list. But with Juan Soto back, the early results have been promising.

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