New York Yankees fans fall more in love with Juan Soto by each passing day. The All-Star right fielder is putting the finishing touches on the best 162-game season of his career (.286 batting average, 40 home runs, .575 slugging and .993 OPS). It is not just Soto's top-notch power and plate discipline that is enthralling The Bronx, though. His energy and dedication has deeply resonated with fans, especially the Bleacher Creatures. But with such passion, comes some risk.
While making a stellar sliding catch in foul territory during the Yankees' 3-2 loss versus the Seattle Mariners on Thursday, Soto crashed into the wall. He alleviated fears by getting up and staying in the game, but New York is not taking any chances. The 25-year-old is being scratched from the team's lineup for Friday's game against the Oakland Athletics because of soreness and swelling, according to MLB.com's Bryan Hoch.
Soto's X-rays are negative, so perhaps Yankees brass is primarily just being cautious. A banged-up slugger could severely threaten their October plans, which center around ending a 15-year World Series drought. If one of the ballclub's top-two players enters the playoffs at well less than 100 percent, then New York's offense might look as frighteningly shallow as it has in past postseasons.
That being said, the Yankees (89-64) still have plenty to fight for in the last nine games of the 2024 campaign. They have yet to clinch the American League East (host the 85-68 Baltimore Orioles in a series starting on Tuesday) and are wrestling the Cleveland Guardians for the No. 1 seed in the AL. Juan Soto might be needed to secure both advantages, but obviously his long-term health is the foremost priority.
Yankees face a gritty Athletics club sans Juan Soto
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Manager Aaron Boone is presumably hoping that a day or two of rest will prevent the forthcoming free agent from pushing through pain when the games matter most. Typically, a matchup against a subpar squad would still have fans feeling confident about the outcome even in Soto's absence, but the A's are scrappy and more talented than they were projected to be in 2024. They are also playing for Oakland, a city they will depart possibly for good after next week's three-game set versus the Texas Rangers.
This could be the perfect storm for the Yankees. Though, if it means they get to unleash a healthy Soto on the rest of the AL field in a couple of weeks, then they will gladly take out their umbrellas for a road meeting in the Coliseum.
