David Stearns Provides Encouraging Update on Juan Soto

When the New York Mets placed Juan Soto on the 10-day injured list, they were under the expectation that their superstar would be out for two to three weeks.

Despite getting one of the better-case scenarios from his MRI and Soto feeling much better after initially sustaining the calf strain, the Mets are smartly playing it safe and chose to IL him. They did this largely because calf injuries are notoriously easy to reaggravate and can often be a precursor to more significant injuries in the leg area.

Fortunately, all signs are pointing towards Soto avoiding an extended absence. Meeting with the media on Friday, Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns said that the left fielder is making the expected progress in his rehab to potentially return on schedule.

"He's moving around indoors. The key at this point is to make sure he doesn't get deconditioned and keep him going so that when the calf is fully ready, we don't have this lengthy ramp up," Stearns said. "I don't have a specific 'on this day he's going to start running', 'on this day he's going to hit on the field', we don't have that yet. But we're optimistic this is not going to be a particularly long-term absence right now."

David Stearns gives an update on Juan Soto:

"He's progressing as we would expect...we're optimistic that this is not going to be a particularly long-term absence" pic.twitter.com/2PE5fQnelc
— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) April 10, 2026

Stearns' update on Soto was preceded by an update from manager Carlos Mendoza on Thursday, who confirmed that the outfielder hit in the batting cages and played catch on Wednesday. He is not close to beginning a running program, but will continue with light baseball activities.

Carlos Mendoza said Juan Soto hit in the cages and played catch yesterday but still hasn't run yet pic.twitter.com/BDFYvWjuzs
— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) April 9, 2026

Which Met Will Step Up in Soto's Stead?

Regardless of positive updates, losing Soto was a massive blow to New York's lineup given his previous production. The 27-year-old slugger had hit safely in all eight games he's played so far in 2026, and holds a .355/.412/.516 slash line in 34 plate appearances.

The Mets were able to generate more than enough offense to take their series against the San Francisco Giants when Soto went down, but dropped two of three at Citi Field to the Arizona Diamondbacks after scoring just three runs in the last two games. At this point, the lineup is feeling his absence, and someone needs to step up in the meantime even if Soto's production is irreplaceable.

Players like Mark Vientos and Jared Young have been doing their best to provide offense at first base, which also is ailing due to Jorge Polanco's Achilles issue. Vientos has looked excellent to begin the year despite a rough spring, hitting .323 with a .484 slugging percentage in 34 plate appearances. Meanwhile, Young has a surprising .912 OPS in 17 plate appearances.

Another player the Mets need to depend on is Brett Baty, who will be playing the outfield in place of Soto. He's gotten off to a slow start at the plate with a .653 OPS in 45 plate appearances, and is experiencing some growing pains in the outfield. Nonetheless, he's primed to turn his season around after overcoming so much adversity in the past to break out in 2025.

Nolan McLean was magnificent tonight, but he's not going to come away with a win. After McLean departed, Gabriel Moreno hit an RBI double over Brett Baty's head, and Alek Thomas knocked in the go-ahead run on an RBI fielder's choice -- both off Luke Weaver.

The Mets now trail. pic.twitter.com/SKuTRPuw8U
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) April 10, 2026

Finally, New York needs shortstop Francisco Lindor to break out of his funk. Lindor is notorious for being a slow starter, but his stretch to begin 2026 has been rough even by his standards with no RBI and a .157/.306/.255 slash line in 62 plate appearances.

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