TORONTO — About 10 to 15 minutes before first pitch Sunday, Juan Soto stopped by pitcher Aaron Boone’s office to ask if it was too late for him to move into the batting order.
The star right fielder did not play in the Yankees’ first game after receiving treatment for a bruised right hand in the morning and then taking swings in the cage, which proved too difficult the day before.
But things went a lot smoother on Sunday, and suddenly Soto found himself ready to play in the series finale against the Blue Jays.
“We made a hurried switch, and obviously he played a big role in getting us there,” Boone said after the Yankees’ 8-1 win at Rogers Centre.
Soto was 1-for-3 with 2 walks, hit a line drive single in his first at-bat and scored on Aaron Judge’s home run.
He said his hitting was good, but catching the ball in right field was “a little difficult.”
Soto said after Sunday’s game that his hand was still swollen, but he felt it was well worth a try.
“I think it was a chance for me to help the team,” Soto said. “I felt good in the warmups. I knew we had a good chance to win the game today, so I went for it.”
It remains to be seen whether Soto will need to undergo further hand testing upon his return to New York on Monday.
Before Sunday’s game, he indicated he would likely undergo an MRI or CT scan, but said after the game that he would make that decision in consultation with team doctors.
The Yankees delayed announcing their lineup for much of the morning while trying to gauge Soto’s availability and initially left him out.
Especially with Monday being an off day, it would have made sense to play it safe and give Soto an extra day of rest.
“The biggest thing, and what I told him when he got here this morning, was I knew he was feeling better and looked pretty good, so I didn’t want him to compromise his swing or do anything,” Boone said. “After he hit, by all reports, the hitting coach [Saturday] The people who were concerned said, ‘He looks great.’ The trainer approved, so we got started.”
Gleyber Torres, who is close to Soto, said he was concerned about the condition of Soto’s thumb Saturday night.
By the time first pitch was thrown Sunday, those concerns had been allayed, at least for that day.
“I heard him hit it in the cage and it was pretty loud so I thought that was a good sign,” Judge said. “I’m glad he’s back and playing like he did in the top of the first inning. Good.”
