It couldn’t have gone much worse for Juan Soto on his hotly anticipated return to Yankee Stadium this weekend.
The $765million New York Mets man was always going to get savagely booed on his return to the Bronx – everyone knew that. When it emerged he had chosen to swap the Yankees for their crosstown rivals, one of the first moves fans made was to see when the schedule took him back to his old home.
The Bleacher Creatures were waiting on Friday night, and for the rest of the weekend, with chants of ‘F*** Juan Soto’ as he resumed his place on right field.
The generational left-hander took it well for the most part but by Sunday, there were signs the strain was starting to get to him.
ESPN, broadcasting the final Subway Series game as part of Sunday Night Baseball, announced on Sunday morning that Soto was going to be miked up for the bottom of the second – a chance for precious insight from the Mets star while he was on the field.
But, according to multiple reports, he backed out at the final moments before the game. Indeed, it was Brandon Nimmo who was live with the broadcaster when the bottom of the second eventually rolled around.
Juan Soto was met with fury on his return to Yankee Stadium as a New York Met
At first Soto spoke of taking the backlash ‘like a man’ but backed out of an ESPN appearance
A report on NJ.Com says that Soto told Mets officials ‘he was tired of answering questions about Yankees captain Aaron Judge and sick of explaining why he chose the Mets.’
Soto and Judge only spoke once – publicly, on the field – during the three-game series over the weekend, before the start of the 8-2 win for the Yankees on Sunday night.
‘Just said hello to him, I hadn’t seen him all series,’ Judge said after his team won the game. ‘Just kind of wishing him the best.
‘Kind of said, “Hey man, you’re the best in the game. Things like this are gonna happen, just keep playing your game.” It was good to see him.
‘But happy we were able to either walk him or not let him do any damage, especially in this series.’
Overall, Soto went 1-for-10 with four walks in three games on his Yankee Stadium return. Hardly enough to silence the critics.
On Friday, Soto was happy to take the anger from Yankees fans on the chin.
‘You’ve got to embrace it,’ he said. ‘At the end of the day, whatever they give you, it is what it is. You’ve got to be professional. You’ve got to take it like a man, and I was just enjoying the moment.’
Soto’s struggles reflect his underwhelming start to life in Queens playing for the Mets
On a $765million deal, the Mets are going to need to see more out of him sooner than later
But late Sunday night, with his team losing the series and Soto unable to have a moment of his own to answer back to his old friends, it seemed he couldn’t leave Yankee Stadium fast enough.
NJ.Com claimed Soto told reporters he’d take questions shortly after seeing family members outside of the Mets locker room. But he never returned to face the music.
‘These are troubling signs for the Mets’ hierarchy,’ the publication added in the piece by Bob Klapisch. ‘I’m told they’re concerned about Soto’s lack of enthusiasm for his new team.’
Perhaps one reason the 26-year-old may have avoided media is that he went viral on Sunday night among angry fans for seemingly not running fast enough to first base.
With Sunday night’s game level at 2-2 at the top of the eighth, Soto drilled a ball through the middle that required a smart diving grab from second baseman DJ LeMahieu.
As LeMahieu climbed up off the floor and turned to first base, Soto still wasn’t halfway down the first base line and a chance to stay in was gone. Moments later, Cody Bellinger – who the Yankees traded for after Soto left – hit a Grand Slam to lead his team to victory.
‘Juan Soto obviously should have hustled here. Not sure what he was thinking,’ Mets writer Ben Yoel said on X.
Soto and the Mets are back in action against the Boston Red Sox on Monday night. With eight home runs and 20 RBIs to his name before his visit to Fenway Park, Soto needs to heat up sooner than later.
