Mets place All-Star Soto on 10-day IL with left calf strain
Juan Soto was placed on the 10-day injured list Saturday due to a left calf strain, the same injury that sidelined him for 15 games in April when the Mets went 3-12. Soto appeared to experience discomfort while running the bases in Friday's game against the Dodgers and was replaced in the sixth inning. Infielder Eric Wagaman was called up from Triple-A Syracuse as his replacement.
Juan Soto was placed on the 10-day injured list on Saturday due to a left calf strain, according to ESPN's reporting. The injury marks the second time in 2026 that the Mets' only All-Star has been sidelined with the same ailment.
Soto appeared to experience discomfort while running to second base on Bo Bichette's double-play grounder in the second inning of Friday's 4-2 loss to the Dodgers. He had walked twice earlier in that game against Dodgers starter Roki Sasaki before being replaced by Jorge Polanco in the sixth inning with the score tied at 1.
Soto is hitting .293 with 21 homers and 52 RBIs in 84 games this season, per ESPN. His mid-season absence echoes an earlier blow to the team: Soto missed 15 games from April 3-21 with the same left calf injury, during which stretch the Mets went 3-12 without him.
The timeline of his recent appearances before Saturday's IL move shows the injury's persistence. Soto exited the team's first game after the All-Star break in the eighth inning on July 16 at Philadelphia. He returned as the designated hitter on Saturday and Sunday against the Phillies, then played left field Monday in Milwaukee and served as the DH on Tuesday before missing Wednesday's 4-3 loss at Milwaukee. He was back in the lineup Friday after the team had a day off.
The Mets called up infielder and outfielder Eric Wagaman from Triple-A Syracuse to replace Soto. Wagaman is hitting .162 with two homers and four RBIs in 21 games at the Triple-A level this season, per ESPN.
Mets All-Star Juan Soto placed on 10-day IL Saturday with left calf strain, same injury that cost him 15 games in April.
The open questions around Soto's recovery timeline and whether recurrence of the same calf strain signals a pattern will shape whether the Mets can maintain their playoff positioning during his second extended absence of 2026. Watch whether Wagaman can provide meaningful offensive production in the interim and whether Soto's return to the lineup occurs within the full 10-day window.
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