Mets' Soto placed on IL, expected out 2-3 weeks

The New York Mets placed Juan Soto on the injured list Monday after the left fielder suffered a minor right calf strain running the bases Friday against the San Francisco Giants.

He is expected to be sidelined for two to three weeks with the injury.

This is the second non-COVID IL stint of Soto's career and the first since May 2021 when he missed two weeks with a strained left shoulder while playing for the Washington Nationals.

Soto, 27, strained the calf advancing from first to third base in the first inning of the Mets' win Friday. He was removed from the game after being forced out at home. Soto underwent an MRI on Saturday and told reporters in San Francisco that the discomfort felt similar to a left calf injury he suffered in July 2022. He left that game after five innings but returned to play the next day.

The four-time All-Star was off to a hot start in his second season with the Mets, going 11-for-34 with a .928 OPS in eight games, after clubbing 43 home runs with 38 steals and a .921 OPS last season. Jared Young started in left field for Soto on Saturday and Sunday as the Mets won both games to take the four-game series from the Giants. Tyrone Taylor and Brett Baty are other options to play left field during Soto's absence.

The Mets recalled infielder Ronny Mauricio from Triple-A Syracuse in a corresponding move Monday.

The Mets are off Monday and are scheduled to begin a three-game series with the Arizona Diamondbacks at Citi Field on Tuesday. The team moved up first pitch for Tuesday and Wednesday's games from 7:10 p.m. to 4:10 p.m. due to expected cold weather and windy conditions.