Mets' Juan Soto Heading For MRI After Injury Scare

The New York Mets will be hoping for the best-case scenario.

Superstar left fielder Juan Soto is undergoing an MRI on Saturday after leaving Friday night's game against the San Francisco Giants with right calf tightness.

"There's obviously concern," Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. "Every time you send in a player for an MRI. And the calf area could be tricky."

Carlos Mendoza says that Juan Soto will get imaging tomorrow on his calf pic.twitter.com/IZjPC60XQE
— SNY (@SNYtv) April 4, 2026

Soto injured his calf while running from first-to-third base on a Bo Bichette hit in the top of the first inning on Friday. Although he stayed in the game initially to run the bases, the Mets removed Soto on defense in favor of Tyrone Taylor to begin the bottom of the first.

The Mets cannot afford to lose Soto for a significant period of time. Soto, 27, has been the Mets' best hitter so far, slashing .355/.412/.516 with a .928 OPS, one home run and five RBI in eight games. Soto extended his hitting streak to eight games on Friday before his premature exit.

The hope is that Soto's MRI results don't reveal anything too serious. The Mets have also been without first baseman/DH Jorge Polanco, who is dealing with Achilles tendinitis.

The Mets could be without two of their top four sluggers in their lineup if both Soto and Polanco are forced to miss time.

Soto has proven to be durable throughout his nine seasons in the big-leagues. He has played in a minimum of 150 games in every full season dating back to 2019. Soto has also played in at least 157 games in three straight seasons.

Should Soto Miss Time

New York Mets, Juan Sot — Apr 2, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto (22) hits a single against San Francisco Giants catcher Daniel Susac (6) during the eighth inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Robert Edwards-Imagn Images | Robert Edwards-Imagn Images

If Soto gets placed on the IL, the Mets could call-up MJ Melendez or Cristian Pache to play left field. They could also put Brett Baty, who has been seeing playing time in right field, out there.

Should Baty replace Soto in the outfield, the hot hitting Mark Vientos will continue to play everyday either at first base or DH.

Vientos has been on fire lately, slashing .417/.500/.750 with a 1.250 OPS, one homer and two RBI in a total of five games.

Vientos did not begin to see playing time until the Mets started to face left-handed pitching. Now, he's making it difficult for Mendoza to take him out of the lineup.

There is truly no silver lining if the Mets lose their best player in Soto. But they do have depth to replace him in the interim.

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