Juan Soto is in Arlington this week doing what he does best. Smiling. Swinging. Being the guy everyone wants to talk to at the All-Star Game.
It wasn’t always a given he’d be here. Last year, Soto watched the Midsummer Classic from home, even after signing that massive contract with the Mets. The snub stung. But this time around? He’s the National League’s starting right fielder, and he earned it the hard way.
Soto is the Mets’ only All-Star in 2026. That tells you everything about how this season has gone for New York. They’re 40-57 at the break. The roster around him has cratered. But Soto himself is putting up numbers that remind you why he got paid in the first place: .290 with 21 homers and 51 RBIs over 78 games. Not quite his 2025 pace when he hit 43 homers and stole 38 bags, but close enough.
“It’s always great to see so many good players, so many guys that have been putting in the work to be who they are right now,” Soto told SNY. “It’s really cool to see.”
He wasn’t just being polite. Soto has been around the block — this is his fifth All-Star nod — and he knows what it means to be in a room full of elite talent. He also knows what it means to be the only guy from your team in that room. It’s a lonely kind of honor.
The One-Man Show in Queens
Look at the Mets roster and it’s hard to figure out where things went so sideways. Francisco Lindor hasn’t been himself. Pete Alonso’s power is still there but the consistency isn’t. The pitching staff has been a revolving door of injuries and underperformance. And yet Soto keeps showing up, keeps hitting, keeps being the guy who looks like he’s having fun even when the scoreboard says otherwise.
He leads the team in homers and RBIs. He’s third in stolen bases. He’s doing everything you can ask from a superstar. The problem is that baseball doesn’t work with one superstar. You need a lineup. You need a bullpen. You need a little luck.
The Mets have had none of that.
But Soto isn’t the type to throw anyone under the bus. He said all the right things about the All-Star experience, about being around the game’s best, about wanting to carry that momentum into the second half. And he probably will. The question is whether anyone else on the Mets will join him.
What Happens After the Break
There’s no trade deadline drama here. Soto isn’t going anywhere. He’s under contract and the Mets aren’t selling their franchise player. But you have to wonder how much longer he can carry this weight by himself. The second half starts with New York buried in the standings. They’d need something close to a miracle to get back in the race.
Soto knows that. Everyone knows that. But he also knows that baseball has a way of surprising you. Maybe the Mets find something after the break. Maybe they don’t. Either way, Soto will be out there every day, doing what he does. And for a while at least, he’ll be the best thing about watching the Mets.
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