Mets reveal what tipped scales in decision to put Juan Soto on IL

NEW YORK — The Mets are playing it safe with Juan Soto and his right calf strain.

They could’ve kept the superstar outfielder sidelined in a day-to-day capacity, checking regularly to see if the superstar outfielder was ready to return to the lineup.

After deliberating over the weekend, the Mets decided to take it slow and put Soto on the injured list.

“There’s no reason for us to continue to go day by day, putting him through a series of exercises and make a decision whether he’s going to be available or not,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said before Tuesday’s series opener against the Diamondbacks at Citi Field. “We just decided, you know what, take your time before we start putting you through a series of things that he has to check all the boxes. So give it time and then we’ll get him back when we’ll get him back.”

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Soto injured his right calf while running the bases in the first inning on Friday night in San Francisco. He exited that game against the Giants and then sat out for the rest of the weekend. The Mets announced on Monday during their off day that Soto was headed officially to the IL with infielder Ronny Mauricio taking his place on the active roster.

“He knows where we are on the schedule,” Mendoza said of Soto. “Yes, understanding that every game is important, whether it’s April, May, June, July, all of them count, but it’s no reason for us to continue to push it here while he’s dealing with this.”

The Mets’ first lineup without Soto featured phenom Carson Benge moving to left field with Brett Baty starting in right. Mendoza explained that he’s comfortable using Baty anywhere on the field, but most of his work this spring was on the right side (first base, second base and right).

The Mets could also lean on Jared Young while Soto is out. Young has been playing well in a small sample to this point, a left-handed hitter with some pop and the ability to play both corner outfield spots.

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