The Mets are starting to look eerily like the Yankees of the National League. Just days after the Bronx Bombers were rocked by the loss of their cornerstone, Aaron Judge, the Mets find themselves staring down a similar nightmare. And the timing couldn’t be worse. Fresh off a surge to the top of the NL East, having overtaken the Phillies with seven wins in their last ten games, the Mets were finally hitting their stride and looking every bit like a postseason contender. But just as momentum seemed to be on their side, the injury bug has struck again.

This time, it’s targeted at a superstar whose raw numbers might not fully tell the story of his impact. Sure, a .125 average with three hits, one home run, three RBIs, and three runs scored over his last seven games might not seem “irreplaceable.” But when that player is Juan Soto, everything changes. And now, the man himself has spoken, giving fans the latest update on the injury that has suddenly cast a shadow over the Mets’ resurgence.

“I think it’s gonna be good. We just got to get the swelling down,” Soto told the reporters. “When the swelling goes down, I think we’re gonna be fine. The X-rays are negative, so it’s a good sign.” However, currently it doesn’t look well. “It’s actually numb. I don’t feel anything right now,” Soto further added, acknowledging his foot felt numb and a little stiff after the game.

So, while Soto might not miss extended time, the Mets will be without him for the next few games, which isn’t a good sign given they’re on a two-game losing streak. But how did we get here? No, not the losing streak, but Soto’s injury crisis.

For that, let’s rewind to the fourth inning of the game against the Padres on Tuesday. Remember, Soto fouled a ball off the top of his left foot, near his toe? He gutted it out and finished the at-bat, grounding out to second baseman Jake Cronenworth. But as he tried to run to first, the pain lingered. Recognizing the risk, manager Carlos Mendoza pulled Soto before the bottom of the fourth.

“It’s too early to tell. Usually when you get it like that, and he got it good, it’s usually maybe a couple of days,” Mendoza said in the post-game media interaction. “We just got to see how he responds, and he wakes up tomorrow morning, and we’ll go from there.”

The skipper said the team’s trainers don’t believe Soto needs any additional imaging on his foot. Whether he plays in Wednesday’s series finale in San Diego will depend on how he feels in the morning. However, he couldn’t guarantee that Soto would stay off the injured list, though he sounded optimistic that it’s more of a day-to-day situation.

Things look more dire because both Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso are struggling at the top of the lineup. At this point, the Mets truly can’t afford to be without Soto, who’s hitting .248 and 25 HRs in 107 games.

Juan Soto’s reunion with Padres fans

For the unfamiliar, Juan Soto was traded from the Padres to the Yankees in 2024 and went on to finish the season with 41 home runs. But Padres fans are still bitter, blaming him for the team’s disappointing 2023 season when they missed the playoffs. Even last year, when Soto returned to Petco Park as a Yankee, he was met with boos, and guess what? Nothing has changed this season.

Padres fans still haven’t moved on, showering him with boos again during Tuesday’s game against the Mets. On Tuesday, Soto addressed the reaction, speaking with The Sporting Tribune’s Marty Caswell. “Juan Soto says he’s not surprised by the heavy boos at Petco Park. Says Padres fans always root for their players, and ‘they’re sad I’m gone,‘” Caswell quoted Soto after the game.

The story started in 2023. Soto hit 35 HRs and drove in 109 runs for the Padres over a full 162-game season. Yet, San Diego still missed the playoffs. After being traded from the Nationals in 2022, Soto never quite became the game-changing star the Padres had hoped for. Still, they gave it one more shot with him. But financial troubles ultimately led to his trade to the Yankees in 2023.

However, the tables got turned in New York. Notably, Soto has blossomed into exactly the player the Padres thought they were getting from Washington. Padres fans, though, still haven’t fully come to terms with it. And Tuesday night at Petco Park was another stark reminder of the lingering tension between Soto and San Diego.

With Soto now sidelined, Petco Park might miss his presence in the third game. And for the Mets, it’s far better to give him a miss for a game off now than to risk missing him in the postseason.