Juan Soto to miss significant time with Grade 2 calf strain

NEW YORK -- New York Mets star Juan Soto was placed on the 10-day injured list Saturday because of a left calf strain and is expected to miss significant time, interim manager Andy Green said.

Soto was diagnosed with a Grade 2 strain. Green explained the injury is more severe than the right calf strain Soto suffered in April, when he missed nearly three weeks.

"It's a little more significant than last time," Green said. "It's not what we were hoping for. He's a guy we love having on the field. He's a guy who loves to be on the field competing. We'll be without him for a period of time now."

Soto walked twice against Los Angeles Dodgers starter Roki Sasaki in the Mets' 4-2 loss before departing the game because of the injury in the sixth inning. After the game, Green said Soto aggravated the injury running to second base on Bo Bichette's double-play grounder in the second inning.

Soto had been playing with nagging discomfort in the calf for a week going into Friday's series opener, despite the Mets' last-place standing.

The lone All-Star for the Mets this year, Soto exited the team's first game after the break in the eighth inning on July 16 against the Philadelphia Phillies. New York was off the following day, and he returned to the lineup as the designated hitter Saturday and Sunday against the Phillies. He played left field Monday against the Milwaukee Brewers and was the designated hitter Tuesday before sitting out Wednesday's loss in Milwaukee ahead of Thursday's off day.

In total, the Mets started Soto at DH in four of his six games after the All-Star break to reduce the stress on his calf. The caution wasn't enough to avoid another IL stint.

"Someone like him wants to be on the baseball field," Green said. "He wants to play. The desire to be on the field is why he's so special in what he does. This last week, we gave him at-bats. We gave him rest at times when we felt it appropriate. And yesterday he couldn't get over the hump.

"Is it possible we could have looked back and thought we could have moved a little quicker on this? Given where we're at today, yes. I don't know that that ultimately changes the situation we're in right now. I respect somebody who's trying to get on the field and play through things."

Soto has been one of the brightest spots in a dismal season for the Mets, again emerging as a top-five National League MVP candidate in his second season with the franchise. He's batting .293 with 21 homers in 84 games this season. His .947 OPS ranks second in the majors entering Saturday, behind only Houston Astros designated hitter and American League MVP favorite Yordan Alvarez.

The Mets lost 12 straight games without Soto when he was on the injured list in April, and they didn't snap the skid until his return April 22. With the Mets' postseason chances squashed -- and with the team expected to trade away veteran contributors ahead of the Aug. 3 deadline -- Green acknowledged the club could take a particularly cautious approach with Soto's return, though he stopped short of saying Soto could miss the remainder of the season.

"We are all cognizant of his long-term importance to us," Green said. "We will factor that in appropriately. It's also good for healthy baseball players to get on the field and play baseball. So we'll balance that when the time comes."br/]