The ink dried on his contract. Yet, the narratives have shown no signs of slowing down. From whispers of him longing for the Yankees to the whispers of the Yankees missing his explosive bat, we’ve heard quite a lot. Amidst all of that, Juan Soto must have felt a lot himself! On Saturday night, the New York Mets hosted the Los Angeles Dodgers at Citi Field. But more than the game, it was Soto’s candid take on his time with the Mets that drew the most attention.

Soto entered the game with a slump. Since May 9th, he hadn’t recorded any extra base hits. The last time he went deep was against the Chicago Cubs. Breaking his lengthy slump, he hit a tie-breaking two-run double off the right-center field wall against the Dodgers during the fourth inning. And, the Mets ended up securing a stunning 5-2 win.

After the game, Soto spoke with Ken Rosenthal and made a confession. He said, “It’s not easy at all. It’s a new team, and after you make a commitment for this long, it takes your time. It takes your time to sit down, look around, and enjoy the moment.” It hasn’t been easy for him, and it has been no secret.

Soto has had a rough start to the 2025 season, and the numbers reflect it. He has a slugging percentage of .429 with the New York Mets. That’s .140 below his mark with the Yankees last season.

Recently Michael Kay stated on his show that “Soto doesn’t have any joy at all” playing baseball at this point. Wondering why? Kay believes Soto wanted to stay in the Bronx all this while. However, his family was the reason he had to move to the Queens. They trust Steve and Alex Cohen’s vision.

As we’re moving ahead in the season, the speculations around where Soto wants to be don’t seem to go away anytime soon. But the fact that he’s not the first one going through something like this reflects that all the adjustment struggles are only temporary!

Mets Manager and Carlos Beltran back Soto

Currently, across 40 games, Juan Soto is hitting .238, with only five home runs and 17 RBIs. If you know Soto, you know that’s not the standard he has set for himself. After all, in the last couple of seasons, he used to consistently stay above the .270 mark and casually clear 25 home runs.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza didn’t make a deal about Soto’s rough start to the season. The transition is never easy, especially if it’s a cross-town rival, and Mendoza understands that. As per the manager, the right set of guidance can help Soto bounce back.

Mendoza brought up a familiar name in the conversation. It’s Carlos Beltrán! He retired around a decade ago. However, he has been mentoring Soto during this adjustment stint. Mendoza stated, “Beltran went through it… He will continue to have those conversations with him.” Guess what? Beltran, during his era, was booed too!

It was his transition stint when he first returned to Houston after signing with the Mets. He uses this example to empathize with Soto.

Sooner or later, Soto will thrive as a hitter with the Mets, and all the talking will be done by his explosive bat. But for the time being, it’s about him staying in the right frame of mind.