Inside The Pinstripes

Yankees Reveal Juan Soto's Imaging Results Amid Hand Injury

Soto was scratched from Saturday's lineup due to a bruised hand.
Jun 28, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; New York Yankees outfielder Juan Soto (22) takes batting practice before a game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 28, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; New York Yankees outfielder Juan Soto (22) takes batting practice before a game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports | Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Yankees got some good news on superstar slugger Juan Soto.

The 25-year-old outfielder was a late scratch for Saturday's game against the Toronto Blue Jays (a 9-3 loss) due to a bruised right hand he sustained the night before; Soto was scheduled for an X-Ray shortly after being ruled out. Fortunately, it came back clean.

"It wasn't much of an issue for [Soto] the rest of the game last night and he went home fine, but he woke up this morning with some swelling in there," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said in a postgame interview. "He got X-rays today and they were negative, so we'll see how he's doing the rest of the day and then see where we're at tomorrow."

During the game and presumably after the X-Ray, Soto was in the visitor's dugout wearing a wrap on his right hand, which was shown on the YES Network broadcast.

This was the second time that Soto underwent imaging in a span of three weeks; he previously got one that revealed left forearm inflammation and subsequently missed a three-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, but returned in the Yankees' next series against the Kansas City Royals. With Soto being renowned for his durability (among numerous other things), New York is hoping that this case is more of the same and he'd be ready to take the field again shortly.

Soto is hitting .302/.434/.570 with 20 home runs, 60 RBI, a 185 wRC+, and 4.9 fWAR in 81 games played this season. His absence was felt in the Bronx Bombers' lineup throughout Saturday afternoon, as they could only muster three runs (two of which came on a ninth-inning home run by Austin Wells) on eight hits; the Yankees left six on base and went just 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position.

New York has lost 10 of their last 13 games, although they still are firmly in the playoff race with a 53-32 record. If Soto feels good enough to play on Sunday, the Bronx Bombers should like their chances to force a split of their four-game series in Toronto.


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Joe Najarian
JOE NAJARIAN

Joe Najarian is the Deputy Editor and a writer for the New York Yankees and New York Mets On SI sites. He got his bachelor’s degree in journalism with a specialization in sports from Rutgers University, graduating in 2022. Joe has previously written for Jersey Sporting News and for the New York Giants On SI site. You can follow him on Twitter/X: @JoeNajarian

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