New York Yankees fans were left perplexed after Juan Soto did not return following the rain delay during Thursday’s game against the Minnesota Twins.
The team later announced that Soto was removed from the game due to left forearm soreness.
On Thursday night, manager Aaron Boone told reporters that Soto was evaluated during the rain delay by Dr. Christopher Ahmad. They decided it was best not to push it when it came to the ailment, prompting the team to keep him out of the game when play resumed, according to Meredith Marakovits of the YES Network.
Boone noted that Soto’s been dealing with soreness in the forearm for around a week, and the superstar outfielder is set to undergo imaging on the injury on Friday.
Soto addressed the injury with reporters Thursday evening and noted that he’s been trying to “grind through” the pain for almost two weeks. He added that the soreness he feels in his forearm “doesn’t stop [him] with anything baseball-wise.”
“I’ve just been grinding through it”
Juan Soto details his forearm soreness and how it doesn’t “stop him with anything baseball-wise” pic.twitter.com/jeWnngs3qU
New York has won eight straight games and have swept the Twins and San Francisco Giants consecutively. They begin a three-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday, though it’s unclear if Soto will be available.
In three plate appearances on Thursday, Soto went 0-for-1 with two walks and a run. He’s slashing .318/.424/.603 with 17 home runs and 53 RBI in his first season in the Bronx.
UPDATE: Juan Soto's MRI came back with only inflammation, according to MLB insider Jon Heyman. His AL MVP odds have still dropped to +450 at FanDuel Sportsbook -- but they have rebounded after falling as low as +650.
The initial prognosis on Juan Soto's MRI is that it's only inflammation and he should be ok, per @JonHeyman
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) June 7, 2024
What follows is the initial story of the odds movement following Soto's exit from Thursday night's game against the Minnesota Twins. His odds have remained the same at DraftKings Sportsbook (+235) throughout this process.
New York Yankees fans everywhere held their breath on Thursday night after Juan Soto was lifted from the team's win with what the Yankees called, "left forearm discomfort."
However, MLB insider Jon Heyman revealed on Friday that the Yankees are "nervous" when it comes to Soto and his injury and his odds have fallen since the injury occurred.
"The Yankees have their fingers crossed, they're nervous."
— New York Post Sports (@nypostsports) June 7, 2024
Soto is slashing an impressive .318/.424/.603 with 17 homers on the season. He was right behind teammate Aaron Judge in the odds as the No. 2 favorite for the AL MVP.
That has since changed at FanDuel Sportsbook, a sign that Soto could be looking at a stint on the injured list. Even if Soto plays, oddsmakers may be taking their chance on him being less effective with his forearm bothering him, at least in terms of his ability to win AL MVP.
Kansas City Royals star Bobby Witt Jr. and Baltimore Orioles star Gunnar Henderson have leapfrogged Soto in the latest AL MVP odds. Soto dropped from +210 to +650 since being removed from Thursday's game, a massive falloff that signals oddsmakers believe he's at least expected to miss some time or be less effective in the MVP race.
The other important note here is Judge has jumped to a clear favorite in this market. After posting an OPS over 1.400 in May, Judge is now hitting .289 on the season and leads baseball in homers (21), doubles, and walks drawn.
Despite the movement at FanDuel, that isn't the case everywhere in the betting market.
In this case, oddsmakers still believe in Soto's AL MVP case, although Witt Jr. and Henderson are right on his heels for the No. 2 spot.
Until the Yankees officially announce a roster move, Soto's status is truly up in the air.
The star outfielder addressed the media on Thursday, saying he's been dealing with the ailment for a couple of weeks. While he's been able to play through it, there has to be some concern that this has been building over time.
Juan Soto says he's felt the forearm tightness for a couple weeks but it hasn't impacted his baseball related activities at all pic.twitter.com/UuyC2ATyyA
Soto didn't have to make many throws against the Twins on Thursday, and it's unclear if there is a specific spot where he could have aggravated his forearm that led to his removal from the game.
If the injury isn't bothering Soto when he hits, he theoretically could stay in the AL-leading Yankees lineup as a designated hitter.
The problem? That spot is usually manned by slugger Giancarlo Stanton, who has been injury-prone in the past and is certainly risky to play in the field. For now, the Yankees and their fans -- and Soto bettors -- are hoping for some positive news about his injury in the coming days.
I think this helps Judge's MVP case the most, as the Yankees would rely even more on the 2022 AL MVP if Soto can't play for any period.
Judge has finished in the top five in MVP voting in three different seasons in his MLB career.
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New York Yankees outfielder Juan Soto took it upon himself to answer Los Angeles Angels pitcher Patrick Sandoval's question for home plate umpire Edwin Moscoso during the top of the fourth inning of New York's 8–3 win on Thursday at Angel Stadium.
With the count at 2-and-1, Sandoval fired a four-seam fastball knee-high that landed at the bottom of the strike zone, a pitch that Moscoso ruled a ball. Sandoval inquired about the pitch, asking the umpire if it was low.
Only, the Angels hurler didn't get a reply from Moscoso, but from Soto, who proceeded to nod his head repeatedly, indicating he thought the offering was low.
Here's the amusing exchange.
Patrick Sandoval asked if the pitch was low and Juan Soto continuously nodded yes pic.twitter.com/QA1awnN6R6
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) May 31, 2024
Soto, who seemingly benefited from the generous call by Moscoso, went on to draw a walk before Yankees slugger Aaron Judge drove him in during the next at-bat on a two-run home run.
Soto, 25, has posted a .312/.415/.584 slash line with 15 home runs, 49 RBI and 41 runs scored in 58 games played for the Yankees this season.
Juan Soto broke a 2-2 tie with a three-run double as the New York Yankees completed a three-game sweep over the Detroit Tigers on Sunday. The slugger's first month-plus in the Bronx has gone great as he continues to look like one of the best offensive players in baseball.
Soto currently leads the American League in OPS+ and sports an ridiculous .421 on-base percentage. He's second in RBI and would probably have significantly more if he wasn't so committed to accepting walks.
Combined with Aaron Judge, he's provided a 2-3 punch in the Yankees lineup that's as unpleasant for opposing pitchers as any other in the sport. Yesterday he also did something that — forgive the cheesiness here — doesn't show up on the box score but provided a lifelong memory for a young fan.
After catching a Javier Báez fly ball down in the right-field corner to end the top of the fifth inning, Soto graciously gifted a souvenir to a Yankees supporter with excellent seats. Who loved it. A lot. They loved it a lot.
The weather in New York City on Sunday was pretty brutal and the game was called after a 56-minute rain delay and eight innings, so everyone out there earned a win.
