How Juan Soto views Mets' closing stretch and how he's used off injury

NEW YORK — Andy Green joked he was willing to force his own exit to ensure that Juan Soto stayed in the batter's box for the biggest at-bat of Sunday's game.

In the bottom of the fifth inning of a tie game with a runner in scoring position, Soto fouled a 2-2 fastball off his right shin. The superstar outfielder, who was playing his first game since landing on the injured list on July 25 with a left calf strain, jammed the handle of his bat into the grass, crouched near the on-deck circle and shook off the sting.

"I was certainly hoping we weren't taking him out of the game," Green said. "I was gonna give him all the time in the world he needed. I would've gotten ejected just to give him more time. The umpire was saying to speed things up."

On the very next pitch, Soto caught a hanging knuckle-curve from Cristian Javier and deposited it into right field for the go-ahead RBI single in the Mets' 6-2 victory over the Astros in front of 29,183 fans at Citi Field.

The interruption provided a brief scare for Soto, who has twice been on the injured list this season, but he proved his worth once again by flashing his dynamic bat in a key spot in his first game back.

"At the time, everything went through my mind, but definitely I tried to stay positive and tried to think the best possible way to get out of it," Soto said of fouling the pitch off his leg. "Little by little, I just said [screw] it, I'm gonna try to push through it. I'm going to take too long here. I got be out here."

There would be no denying Soto's path back to the big league diamond.

After Soto suffered a Grade 2 left calf strain during a game with the Dodgers on July 24, the Mets superstar outfielder asserted that he would be back before the end of the 2026 season. A little more than one month later on Saturday afternoon, without a rehab assignment, Soto was back in the lineup as the team's designated hitter, batting second.

"He's worked incredibly hard over the last few weeks. He's done a lot of it behind the scenes without people seeing it. He's done it when we're on the road," Mets interim manager Andy Green said. "He's pushed himself in a way that, frankly, you don't see a lot of veterans push themselves when your team is in this type of situation that we're in.

"I think that speaks volumes to his desire to be on the field, his desire to play, loves the game, enjoying his teammates, wants to be part of winning baseball for the rest of the year, so excited about that."

While the Mets' position in the standings — they entered Saturday's action at 60-75 and losers of three straight games — afforded them a chance to be cautious with their $765 million outfielder, Soto pushed to return.

He began running about two weeks ago and participated in live batting practice earlier this week. Soto said that his calf reacted well to the workouts and testing, which allowed him to return five weeks after the injury. Earlier in the season, Soto missed 15 games while tending to a mild right calf strain.

"It's really frustrating to be down and not being able to help your team and try to perform out there, try to have fun with the boys," Soto said. "I think it's really frustrating. That's one of the things that keep me motivated to be out there again. This is the longest I've ever been out, so it's just day in, day out, just focused to try and come back."

How will the Mets use Juan Soto off the injury?

The club will remain cautious with one of the centerpieces of their future, particularly with Soto also suffering a lower-grade calf strain to his other leg in early April and the Mets' playoff hopes all but gone.

"He's ready to play. We'll check him daily. That'll be a part of the process," Green said. "If he needs a day, he will get a day. There will be some days scheduled at the outset."

In 85 games this season, Soto is slashing .283/.406/.535 with 21 home runs, 53 RBI and 47 runs. He earned his first All-Star selection as a member of the Mets and fifth overall.

Soto said he anticipates that he will log more time at designated hitter following his speedy recovery.

Green does not expect Soto's return to disrupt the playing time of Carson Benge or A.J. Ewing. MLB.com's Anthony DiComo reported that Luis Robert Jr. was placed on waivers Sunday, but he could remain on the team if no teams opt to claim him.

The Mets are hoping that adding Soto to the mix can continue their improved play since the trade deadline. The Mets are 14-9 since the team was shook up on Aug. 3.

"We brought in a lot of young talent from the minor leagues and now seeing them playing the way they're playing and seeing how everything is clicking for us, I think it's really cool to see," Soto said. "It means a lot, not only for this year but for the next years coming (up). I'm just really happy about it, the way we are playing and that's another thing too that motivated me a little bit more to come back to try and join this positive wave and try to carry it on."