Yankees right fielder Juan Soto will not go on the injured list after exiting New York’s 8–5 win over the Minnesota Twins on Thursday with forearm tightness, manager Aaron Boone told reporters Friday afternoon.
“Good news, obviously,” Boone said. “Waiting on that, on those results, I think in the grand scheme of things we got some good news.”
Boone characterized Soto as day-to-day with left forearm inflammation and said he could be available off the bench Friday against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Soto, 25, is slashing an astounding .318/.424/.603 with 17 home runs and 53 RBIs this season. His 3.6 bWAR ranks fourth in the American League, and has helped the Yankees start 45–19.
“There might have been some anxious moments in there,” Boone said. “But … also probably a little optimism there, too, because he’s been playing and been playing really well and has been able to play.”
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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Last year, a promotional giveaway item featured Aaron Judge's already iconic No. 99 on the back of a basketball jersey, and fans went wild for it. This year, the New York Yankees wisely went back to the same giveaway with two big changes: This year, it's white with blue pinstripes (last year's giveaway was blue with white stripes) and it features their newest star: Juan Soto.
The giveaway is on Wednesday this week for the team's night game against the Minnesota Twins, but before Tuesday's game, Soto was doing his part to generate some excitement for it, as he was seen warming up in the jersey:
The Yankees had a feeling Soto would be good enough to create some hype for this giveaway, but even the most optimistic projection may not have had him being this good so early in the season. His OPS+ is 189 going into Tuesday night's series opener, bested only by one player in MLB: Aaron Judge (200).
While Soto undoubtedly maxes out the swag factor of such a jersey, fans are excited to try their hand at looking just as cool wearing it:
The giveaway is sponsored by Canon and limited to the first 18,000 guests on Wednesday, according to the Yankees. Save for a George Costanza bobblehead later this season, there may be no giveaway as anticipated as this one in the Bronx this season.
The New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles, locked in for a final game of a four-game set on Thursday afternoon to determine the sole leader of the AL East, were delayed briefly for a reason you probably haven't heard before. A wristwatch was causing issues for Juan Soto in the third inning.
Soto complained to the umpire about something out near the batter's eye. There was some confusion both in the stadium and among broadcasters of the game over what the complaint was. The umpire went to the Orioles' dugout to have them make a phone call to the bullpen to communicate with the perpetrator in the outfield.
An official of some sort was sitting in a walkway near the batter's eye in a white shirt, and he briefly moved back a few feet, thinking his shirt was the issue.
"Someone send him an orange shirt!" color commentator Joe Girardi joked on YES Network.
Shortly after, it was clarified that a police officer stationed nearby was the actual issue. His watch face was reflecting the sun toward home plate, making it difficult for Soto to see where the ball was.
We had a brief delay as Juan Soto complained about the badge/watch of a police officer stationed beyond the centerfield wall. That's a new one!
