Juan Soto Exits Mets Game Early With Back Issue as Worry Sets In

Juan Soto is dealing with another health scare. The New York Mets superstar was pulled from Tuesday night’s game against the Chicago Cubs before the fifth inning started, and the imagery was not encouraging.

Jorge Castillo of ESPN reported that Soto had a heating pad strapped to his back while sitting in the dugout earlier in the game. Then the Mets made the move. He was out. No announcement about the severity. No update beyond the fact that he was done for the night.

This is not exactly what the Mets needed right now. Soto has already missed time this season with a calf injury that cost him a chunk of early April. He has been productive when healthy, slashing well and anchoring the middle of the lineup. But health has been the running subplot of his first year in Queens, and every little tweak is going to draw a deep breath from a fanbase that has been down this road before.

Soto’s history with nagging injuries

The calf issue was bad enough. Soto spent nearly two weeks on the injured list, and the Mets offense noticeably sputtered without his presence in the heart of the order. He came back looking like himself, but now the back is a concern. Back problems can linger. They can sap power. They can turn a guy from an MVP candidate into a guy who just grimaces through at-bats. Nobody wants that.

And here is the thing about a heating pad in the dugout: it is not subtle. If a player needs heat on his back during a game, the muscle is tight or spasming. That is not the kind of thing you just shake off overnight. The Mets have not said whether this will cost him games, but it would not be surprising if they play it cautious. They cannot afford to lose Soto for an extended stretch, but they also cannot afford to let a manageable issue turn into a season-ruining one.

What comes next

Expect an update Wednesday morning when the Mets release lineups. The team will almost certainly call it day-to-day initially. That is the standard playbook. But anyone who watched Soto walk off the field Tuesday night noticed he was not moving with his usual ease. That is worth tracking.

For now, the Mets wait. And so does Soto, who probably spent the night with a heating pad in a different room.