Inside The Mets

Mets' Juan Soto disputes narrative about his lack of hustle

New York Mets slugger Juan Soto got honest about his supposed lack of hustle in recent games.
Grant Young|
May 16, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto (22) rounds third base and scores on a RBI single by outfielder Brandon Nimmo (not pictured) during the fourth inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images
May 16, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto (22) rounds third base and scores on a RBI single by outfielder Brandon Nimmo (not pictured) during the fourth inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images | John Jones-Imagn Images

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During the sixth inning of the New York Mets' May 19 road game against the Boston Red Sox, slugger Juan Soto smashed a ball to left field that he clearly thought was going to be a home run. As a result, Soto watched the ball for a few moments before meandering to first base, already in his home run trot.

Then the ball bounced off Fenway Park's Green Monster and was well-played by Boston left fielder Jarren Duran, who snatched the ball and threw it straight to second base in hopes of tagging Soto out at second.

Read more: Insider sets record straight on 'private-jet provision' in Juan Soto's Mets contract

However, Soto had barely made it past first base, settling for a single because he (presumably) hadn't hustled out of the box.

It's worth noting that Soto stole second base one pitch later. Still, this being the second consecutive game where Soto supposedly didn't hustle his hardest (he didn't run hard after a ground ball to second base against the Yankees on May 18) is not a good look.

When asked about this after the game, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said, "I mean, we'll talk to him about it. Tonight, obviously... he thought he had it. In this ballpark, with that wall right there, you gotta get out of the box. We'll discuss that," per SNY.

Soto was also asked about his supposed lack of hustle over the past few games, and clearly didn't agree with the media's stance.

"No. I think I've been hustling pretty hard. If you see it today, you could tell," Soto said when asked if needs to be more aware of hustling out of the box, per SNY.

Soto seems to be alluding to his stealing second base, which is fair. However, that won't appease frustrated Mets fans.

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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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