“He has 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. That speaks volumes about his desire to be on the field,” Andy Green said. It’s no secret that the Mets are in a lost season, but having Soto on the field could help set the tone for next year. The Mets want to establish a solid clubhouse culture, and it’s important that their stars and veterans lead by example. Soto, now 37, is doing exactly that.
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His performance in the outfield has been quite concerning over the last few years. Although his shift from right to left field has brought some positive changes, his run value remains negative. Yet Soto has already made his preference clear: He wants to do more than just serve as a DH. Given his quick return without a rehab assignment, the Mets will have to decide on his role during the final few weeks of the season.
“100%. I would love to be out there,” Soto replied when a reporter asked him if he would like to return to the outfield. “But you’ve got to take it easy and go about the plan that we had.”
Soto suffered a left calf strain shortly after the All-Star break and missed 31 games. He returned to the active roster on August 29, but instead of putting him in left field, the Mets have been using him as the designated hitter. In five games, he has gone 4-for-17, recording three RBIs, two home runs, and a walk. Despite providing an instant boost to the lineup, Soto isn’t fully satisfied with being sidelined defensively. However, he is also aware of the current situation and remains cautious about the impact playing in the outfield could have on his calf.
“I feel pretty comfortable with my calf and all that stuff. But at the end of the day, we got to remember I came a little bit [quicker] than they expected, and I didn’t do any rehab assignments,” Soto said right after his return. “So my guess is I’m probably gonna be DHing a little bit more. And we will see one day when they decide to let me play the outfield. But I think for now the plan is to be more in the DH spot.”
However, some fans are skeptical about his return to the outfield. While the 27-year-old has a 98th percentile in Batting Run Value and a 100th percentile in xSLG, his defensive stats are far from impressive. In fact, his defensive run value has mostly been negative throughout his career.
According to Baseball Savant, he has a -3 fielding run value and -2 outs above average this year. Soto shifted to left field from right at the beginning of 2026, and that has significantly improved his numbers from last year, but some fans still think that he is better off as a DH and might be a liability in the outfield.
But the interim manager, Andy Green, isn’t worried about his defensive performance that much. Instead, he is happy with how the 5x All-Star is doing with the bat.
“He’s worked incredibly hard over the past couple of weeks,” Green said. “He’s done a lot of it behind the scenes without people seeing it. Juan has done it when we’re on the road. 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. So I think that speaks volumes to his desire to be on the field, his desire to play.”
The interim manager is more focused on his overall impact on the clubhouse, and that’s what matters for now.
Juan Soto believes it’s not over yet
The Mets have been at the bottom of the NL East for most of the season, and they are still unable to get out of there with a 63-77 record. Additionally, the team is 10.5 games behind the last National League Wild Card spot. With just 22 games remaining in the regular season, they are technically out of contention.
But Juan Soto doesn’t see it that way.
“We’re not finished yet, we’re not done yet,” he said. “Who knows what can happen. We’re going to finish strong and carry that into October or the next season.”
While this might sound like hope against hope, his words and actions actually have a lot of impact on the clubhouse.
“We know with Juan how much it means to him,” starter Nolan McLean said. “He’s in here every day before everybody, making sure he can get back on the field, and that means the world to us because guys like that in your lineup are important. He’s arguably one of the best hitters on the planet, and I’m glad he’s on my team, and I don’t have to face him. It’s good to have guys like that back.”
Soto, on the other hand, acknowledged how happy he is with the youngsters performing well in his absence. He said:
“We [brought] 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 is really cool to see. That’s another thing that motivated me more to come back and try to join this positive wave and try to carry on.”
The way the players are motivating one another simply by being themselves speaks volumes about the clubhouse. Whether Juan Soto will return to the outfield remains uncertain. But his return and presence will undoubtedly benefit the entire organization.