The weekend matchup between the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees features multiple MVP winners and star power, but Juan Soto was not among those on the field for the series opener.
Soto was out of the Yankees lineup on Friday night because of inflammation in his left forearm. The injury prevented Soto from continuing in Thursday’s game after a rain delay out of precaution.
It then was revealed Soto had been dealing with left forearm inflammation for more than one week, but an MRI brought forth positive news as structural damage was not found.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone expressed some optimism over the injury but isn’t certain if Soto will play in the remaining two games against the Dodgers, per Jorge Castillo of ESPN:
On Friday, Boone said Soto won’t need an injection, just medicine to treat the inflammation. The manager said he didn’t know if Soto will wait until he is symptom-free before returning to the lineup or if he’ll play through some discomfort. He said having Soto play games as the designated hitter — something he hasn’t done yet this season — is possibile.
Soto was deemed available off the bench for the first game against the Dodgers but he did not appear. The expectation is Soto will manage to avoid the 15-day injured list.
His absence, even if only short term, is nevertheless a significant void for the Yankees. Soto is batting .318/.424/603 with 17 home runs and 53 RBI this season. He leads the American League in bating average and on-base percentage.
Soto has hit just .229/.346/.392 with two doubles, seven home runs and 20 RBI in 44 career games (43 starts) against the Dodgers.
Juan Soto’s free agency
The Yankees are reaping the benefits of an aggressive offseason trade to acquire Soto, but he remains on track to become a free agent this fall. Soto recently said he would not close the door on any team should he reach the open market.
When Soto agreed to a contract with the Yankees to avoid arbitration this season, his $31 million contract broke the MLB record that previously belonged to Shohei Ohtani.
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