KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Juan Soto ambled around the empty outfield. He wore shorts and a sleeveless hoodie and he was barefoot. There were a few more hours until the New York Yankees faced the Kansas City Royals, and Soto wanted quiet time inside Kauffman Stadium. Occasionally, he’d stop to stretch. When he explored the injured left forearm that had held him out of the three previous games, he would dig his thumb into its meat, flexing it, or slowly mimic a throwing motion. If he was in pain, he wasn’t showing it.
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The exercise, coupled with hitting in an indoor batting cage, convinced the Yankees and Soto that the 25-year-old star was ready to return to the lineup Monday. For at least a day, they were right.
Soto singled in his first at-bat and didn’t give the Yankees any reason to think they rushed him back too soon in a 4-2 win. He also drew a walk and scored a run as the Yankees improved to an American League-best 47-21 and stayed 2 1/2 games up on the Baltimore Orioles in the AL East. It was their second straight victory.
Soto with a single in his first at-bat back! pic.twitter.com/OPzsWwFAVj
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) June 11, 2024
Soto hit second and suited up as the designated hitter as a way to ease him back, Aaron Boone said. The manager added that Soto likely would return to playing in right field at some point before the Yankees-Royals series ends Thursday.
“Good,” Boone said. “Ho-hum little (seven)-pitch knock to start it off. Worked a walk again. Good, certainly, obviously, to get him back in there and hopefully onward and upward from there.”
Monday seemed a steady first step for Soto, who had Yankees fans holding their breath when he left Thursday night’s game at home against the Minnesota Twins during a rain delay because of what the team called “discomfort” in his throwing forearm. Soto said he had been feeling it for about a week to 10 days.
The day after news about Soto’s injury broke, he had an MRI on the forearm and on his elbow. No structural damage was found, and doctors prescribed medication, treatment and rest for Soto.
He said he didn’t feel any pain against the Royals but added he doesn’t know when he’ll play the outfield again. It all depends on how he’ll feel when he wakes up Tuesday morning, he said. Soto played in all 162 regular-season games last year for the San Diego Padres and hadn’t missed a game yet this season before Friday.
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“I’ve been doing a lot of treatments,” Soto said. “I’ve been feeling good. I’ve been seeing a lot of improvement. Definitely, it’s not going to go away that quick. We’re going to keep working on it and going to keep doing a couple of things for the next week and see how it goes after that.”
Going into Monday, the 25-year-old had been one of the best hitters in baseball this season. He had the second-best OPS at 1.024 — behind only teammate Aaron Judge at 1.139. Soto was also hitting .318 with 17 homers and 35 RBIs. His 47 walks were the third most in the league.
And Monday, Soto’s eye was as sharp as ever. In four at-bats he worked three three-ball counts and two full counts. His first-inning single came on the seventh pitch and had an exit velocity of 95.2 mph against righty Seth Lugo, who entered the night 9-1 with a 2.13 ERA in 13 starts. It sparked a two-run first inning that buoyed starting pitcher Carlos Rodón, who gave up just a run over seven innings.
The Yankees also got two hits apiece from Alex Verdugo and Jose Trevino while hitting 2-for-6 with runners in scoring position. Michael Tonkin earned his first save of the season and the second of his career with a scoreless ninth inning. It all came on a day when the Yankees finally rested Judge, who had played in all 67 of their games this season, and regular DH Giancarlo Stanton. Regular first baseman Anthony Rizzo, amid massive struggles at the plate (77 OPS+), sat for the second straight game.
Between at-bats, Soto seemed at ease. He chatted with hitting coaches James Rowson and Pat Roessler. He watched video on his team tablet. He leaned over the dugout railing and cheered his teammates. In the clubhouse, Soto spoke with ease and confidence.
“It was pretty good,” Soto said. “I know I was DH-ing, but I saw a couple pitches out there, took some hacks. It felt good.”
And it probably felt even better for the Yankees, who can hardly afford to lose Soto for any amount of time.
(Photo: Ed Zurga / Getty Images)