Juan Soto was swinging for the fences but not for the fastball down the middle.
The Yankees slugger had to leave his plate because of a bug and began flailing his arm just as Rays pitcher Shane Baz was about to deliver a pitch in the top of the second inning.
Soto was unable to time the call and the ball was out of the strike zone at the start of his at-bat.
The outfielder still had to shake off the bug after he started to return to the plate, but he returned and got into a double play with the bases loaded to end the inning.
Soto had three hits and one RBI in a 6-4 loss at the Bronx and has lost two of his last three games since the All-Star break.
The Yankees will play one more game against the Rays before shifting focus to the Subway Series.
Soto and Aaron Judge have been the offensive bright spots for a Yankees team that has struggled this season.
“This offense has been great for the first 60 or 70 games. It’s hard to say they’re great for 162 games. … I think people are losing sight of how good these two guys are,” he said. [Soto and Judge] “They can’t do it all every time,” Marcus Stroman said. He told reporters After the match.
