Mets Update on Injuries and Player Performance
Carlos Mendoza has been fielding questions about the Mets’ concerns regarding two significant injuries that recently surfaced. In a somewhat surprising turn, only one player made it back to the starting lineup.
Juan Soto, who had a rough outing when he hit a foul ball with his left foot in San Diego on Tuesday, returned to right field and finished with 1 hit in 4 at-bats, including an RBI single. Thankfully, the x-ray on his leg came back negative, and he missed just one and a half games.
Interestingly, Soto has played 108 out of 110 games this season since joining the team in Queens.
“He’s good to go,” Mendoza assured the media. However, he could not confirm the same for Francisco Alvarez, even though the outlook seemed encouraging.
Alvarez reported that he felt fine after exiting Wednesday’s game against the Padres when he took a foul ball to the head.
He was scratched from the lineup during a 10-inning defeat to the Giants, with the final score being 4-3 on Friday. Mendoza mentioned that Alvarez successfully passed all stages of the concussion protocol.
“We want him to participate in all baseball activities today,” Mendoza explained, adding that they were playing it safe by giving him an extra day. He continued, “We want to ensure he’s moving around well, so he’ll do a bullpen session, go through defensive drills, and have batting practice to gauge his response.”
Soto’s 16th stolen base of the season contributed to a remarkable streak for the Mets, who have now successfully stolen 29 bases in a row. This marks the longest active stealing streak in the majors, eclipsing their own record of 35 straight steals established between mid-May and late June of 2023.
Meanwhile, Mark Vientos is on fire, extending his hitting streak to a career-high of 10 games. His current batting line sits at .343/.361/.486 during this stretch.
On a different note, Jose Castillo, who was designated recently due to roster moves, cleared waivers and is now with Triple-A Syracuse. Remarkably, he has a 2.19 ERA in 14 appearances against the Mets this season.
Brandon Waddell, recovering from a hip injury since July 22, is set to commence rehabilitation assignments with Double-A Binghamton on Saturday.
Before the game, the Mets featured a tribute video for Jose Boto, who was greeted warmly by fans as he visited. Boto, originally signed out of Venezuela in 2017 and having spent his entire career with the Mets before being traded to the Giants, acknowledged the crowd by tipping his hat.
In a somber moment during the game, the Mets held a moment of silence for Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg, who passed away recently, as well as for the four police officers tragically killed in a shooting in Midtown.
