Juan Soto injury just the latest stumble in Mets’ slow start

Eight games into the young 2026 MLB season, Juan Soto and the New York Mets are a clean .500 at 4-4, fourth in the NL East and two games behind first-place Atlanta.

That isn’t the worst start, but not ideal by the Mets’ standards and expectations. After taking two of three from the Pittsburgh Pirates, including knocking Cy Young winner Paul Skenes out in the first inning on Opening Day, New York has only averaged 3.4 runs per game. Friday’s 10-3 whomping of the San Francisco Giants is an anomaly. Otherwise, they lost two of three to the Cardinals in St. Louis, including a 3-0 shutout, and now face two more games against the Giants and first-year manager/former longtime college coach Tony Vitello.

And win aside, Soto left this game after straining his calf running the bases in the first inning:

This is not on-brand for Juan Soto, normally a durability machine. His rookie year in 2018 and shortened 2020 season aside, the man has always been a lock for at least 150 games played. Juan Soto often defines durability.

Until now, at least, and the Mets are crossing their fingers that their $765 million man avoids hitting the injured list for the first time in his career. Soto has hit a team best. 355 to start the season with a home run and five RBI, plus 11 total hits.

The downside is that aside from Soto and catcher Francisco Alvarez, who’s hit .286 with three homers, no one else on the team is really hitting. Not to knock Luis Robert Jr. and his .280 batting average, but six of his seven total hits are singles.

Marcus Semien and Brett Baty are each hitting .214. Both Bo Bichette and Francisco Lindor are below the Mendoza Line. So is rookie Carson Benge who, despite an Opening Day homer, is going through growing pains like most rookies.

Add it all up, and you get a high-potential Mets offense that’s thus far produced middling-to-above average results early on. They have eight team home runs, an average of one a game. Their .230 team batting average ranks 14th in baseball.

So, analytically speaking, the Mets actually haven’t been terrible early on, sporting a team wRC+ of 107.

Except now, Juan Soto could miss extended time in a lineup that’s already struggling at the top. Remove that protection, and someone has to step up to fill that void. Just look at the Yankees’ history when Aaron Judge gets injured. The Bronx Bombers always take a step back without their best bat in the lineup.

Who’s going to fill that void for the Mets if Soto has to sit a few games out? Will Lindor quickly find his stroke again? Will Bichette? Could this be the season in which Mark Vientos finally breaks out as a reliable home run threat? To say nothing of Baty’s streakiness and Alvarez’s own injury woes.

Someone’s going to have to because after missing the playoffs last year? The New York Mets need to get back in “win now and win it all” mode fast.