Mets' Juan Soto Backs Manager After Latest Loss

The free fall continues for the New York Mets, who dropped both games of Sunday's doubleheader to close out a sweep by the Colorado Rockies.

The Mets are now 9-19 on the season, tied for their second worst start in franchise history. During their dreadful 12-game skid, the club was without star player Juan Soto. This, at the very least, provided the peace of mind that things would look a lot better when he was back. And for a brief moment, they did.

New York snapped their losing streak with a 3-2 victory in Soto's first game back, but lost Francisco Lindor to the same calf injury in the effort. Lindor, who struggled to steady the ship in his teammates' absence, is now set to miss at least three weeks with a more significant calf strain than what Soto was dealing with.

Without Lindor, the Mets suffered the embarrassing sweep at the hands of the Rockies and are now back searching for answers on how they can fix all that has gone wrong this season. For this particular club, blame can be placed in any direction. The Mets offense has been historically bad, and their pitching staff has been unreliable at best. When issues run as deep as they have for this unit, the eyes always come back to the manager.

The New York Mets are currently averaging 3.28 runs per game. This is the second lowest mark for any team in the last decade.

The lowest? 3.13 runs per game.

Set by the 2024 Chicago White Sox, who lost the most games in one season in the modern era
— Justin Nicosia (@justinnicosia20) April 26, 2026

Juan Soto Defends Carlos Mendoza and David Stearns

Carlos Mendoza came into the season seemingly coaching for his job after the club gutted his staff last year following their late-season collapse. As the last man standing, Mendoza's seat started warming the minute that the Mets began to underperform. But now with May just around the corner and the league buzzing from Boston's shocking firing of longtime manager Alex Cora, it feels like Mendoza is running out of time to get his team right.

"The only thing I'm worried about here is I gotta get the guys going," Mendoza said when asked if he feels like his job is in danger. "I get it, I mean, it sucks. I know the questions will continue to come up. But my job is to try and figure out a way to get those guys out of the funk."

Mendoza would not say if he has received any assurance from the front office about his status and expressed the same confusion as everyone else watching this team, saying it's "hard to explain when you have that many guys that are going through it at the same time."

Carlos Mendoza is asked if he's worried about his job status: "The only thing I'm worried about is getting the guys going...my job is to find a way to get those guys out of the funk"

Mendoza answers "no" when asked if he's received any assurances about his job pic.twitter.com/YGYYzRnU5B
— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) April 26, 2026

Soto, who is 3-for-15 since returning from the IL, offered his explanation for the struggles in a strong defense of both Mendoza and David Stearns.

"As the players, we have to perform," Soto said. "This is not Mendy's fault or David's fault. They put a great team together, and we have to be the ones to go out there and perform."

"I don't think he's been doing anything wrong, I think he's been doing a great job as a manager," he continued. "He's putting the pieces in the right spot... we haven't come through, but it's not his fault at all."

"This is not Mendy's fault or David's fault. They put a great team together. We have to be the ones that will go out there and perform. This is not [Carlos Mendoza's] fault at all."

- Juan Soto pic.twitter.com/iEIxKvQWyI
— SNY (@SNYtv) April 26, 2026

This sentiment was echoed by other players throughout the year and Soto is not the first guy to stand up for Mendoza. Ultimately, the players are the ones who are out there deciding games and clearly take a lot of responsibility when things are not going their way. That said, if things do not turn around quickly and the team continues to underperform, changes will have to be made.

Soto's vote of confidence is a big one and may be enough to buy Mendoza some additional time. But the only real way to ensure his job security is to start winning and start doing it quickly.

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