Latest on Mets’ Juan Soto after painful injury scare in walk-off win

NEW YORK — When MJ Melendez emerged from the Mets’ dugout to hit for Juan Soto in the seventh inning on Wednesday night, panic pumped through Citi Field.

Just when it seemed like this team couldn’t possibly deal with any more rotten injury luck, their best player was forced out of the game a few innings after fouling a ball off his right foot.

This was a doomsday scenario.

What followed, however, was something that hasn’t happened too much for this Mets team in 2026.

They finished off a comeback win — a walk-off victory with some clutch hitting in the late innings — before getting a positive injury update postgame.

X-rays on Soto’s right foot came back negative, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza revealed after the win.

Phew.

Soto is now considered day to day. It’s entirely possible that he sits on Thursday or even a few days in a row, but this outcome is far better than what would’ve been a cataclysmic alternative for the Mets.

Can you imagine if they lost Soto to another long-term injury?

Soto would’ve joined Francisco Lindor, Luis Robert Jr., Jorge Polanco, Francisco Alvarez and more on the IL. That right there is four key hitters from their starting lineup, all sidelined for the foreseeable future.

In other words, this team is still dealing with some serious injury adversity here as they try to climb out of the hole they dug themselves into throughout their disappointing start to this season, but they dodged what could’ve been a knockout punch.

Soto appeared to be in when he fouled a 2-0 pitch from Tigers lefty off his foot in the third inning. He was down on one knee in pain after limping out of the box.