Juan Soto went 0 for 4 at the plate yesterday as the New York Mets fell to the Chicago White Sox 9-4, ending a five-game winning streak. With this recent performance, Juan Soto’s batting average on the season fell to .224, which would be the lowest single-season mark of his career.
“You’re gonna see frustration, especially [when someone is as much of] a competitor as he is,” said Mets manager Carlos Mendoza after the loss. “Today was one of those days where he didn’t hit the ball hard, but I thought that his foundation, his lower half, was in a better position.”
Mendoza emphasized that he thinks Soto has looked good despite what statistics might show.
Juan Soto over his last 20 games:
12-for-72
.167 BA
.315 OBP
.635 OPS
3 home runs
11 RBIsWhen will Soto break out of this slump⁉️ pic.twitter.com/XkdczH3nqT
— SleeperMets (@SleeperMets) May 28, 2025
“Again, he didn’t hit the ball hard today,” he continued. “But, there was something today with his lower half that – for me – that was a good sign.”
Mendoza explained that he wasn’t sure what was missing previously with Soto’s lower half.
“I felt like today he was on the at-bat,” he said. “I’ve been saying here that he continues to hit the ball hard, and today he didn’t do it, but I felt like he was in a better position.”
Yesterday, Soto went hitless against the White Sox while recording one strikeout and one walk. He has failed to record a hit in his last 14 at-bats.
“I think he’s trying to do too much,” Mets designated hitter Mark Vientos told NJ Advance Media. “There’s a lot of talk about his offensive struggles, and that’s all you hear. He cares, he just wants to be better. And I think he might be putting a little too much on his shoulders.”
2 Soto Shuffles and a walk pic.twitter.com/jVT9bgAKen
— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) May 28, 2025
In 201 at-bats, Juan Soto has 45 hits for 35 runs, eight home runs, and 25 RBIs. His on-base percentage is .352, while his slugging percentage is .745.
“It’s just one of those things. When you look at the eye test – I don’t have to go to the analytics and underlyings because the guy continues to hit the ball hard,” Mendoza said today. “Maybe he’s hitting more ground balls, but [Tuesday] was a perfect example of his season so far: 0-for-4 with three balls hit over 100 mph, and one of them goes down as a groundball to first base when he hits a bullet to right field. It’s hard to explain. But that’s baseball. He’s too good of a hitter, too good of a player. He’ll be Juan Soto.”
The Mets are off today as they get set to play host to the Colorado Rockies tomorrow night. The first pitch in that game is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. EDT.
