Ex-Marlins star makes feelings known on Juan Soto after disappointing outings vs Yankees, Red Sox

New York Mets slugger Juan Soto has been drawing criticism from fans and analysts after his abysmal showing against his former team, the New York Yankees, in the Subway Series over the weekend.

Soto failed to make an impact in his plate appearances in the three-game series, going 1-for-10 against his former team amid a hostile reception from the Yankees faithful in the Bronx.

Former Miami Marlins pitcher and World Series winner Dontrelle Willis made his feelings known about Soto's recent performances in conversation with MLB analyst Kevin Burkhardt.

"They battle, but they still needed Juan Soto to show up," Willis said. "Only one hit and two runs, he really, he really was quiet during that series. They gotta have their $765 million man start to beat his chest a little bit and factor in that offense to take pressure off the rest of the roster."

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Burkhardt seemingly disagreed, saying Soto is still drawing walks:

"Soto's been good, he's still doing his thing, drawing walks, he just hasn't had the impact here."

The former Rookie of the Year doubled down on his take, saying the Mets want much more from Juan Soto than just drawing walks.

"The Mets fans don't care about their walks. I'm gonna let it be known right now, they they want to some power, they want to see some RBI, they want to see some play coverage.

"He's going to get his walks, but he still looks uncomfortable and in between pitches. That's a tough matchup going against guys like Max Fried and Company, but for $765 million, I don't want you to walk, I want you to run."

Carlos Mendoza addressed Juan Soto's play in Red Sox defeat

Juan Soto seemingly broke out of his slump in Monday's series opener against the Boston Red Sox. Soto launched a fly ball towards Fenway Park’s Green Monster and while the Dominican slugger expected it to be a home run, the ball rolled back into play due to the wind, allowing him just a single.

Soto's lack of awareness during that play caught the attention of Mets manager Carlos Mendoza, who will address the issue with the outfielder.

“We’ll talk to him about it,” Mendoza said. “Tonight, obviously, if someone gets a hold of one and knows when he gets it, it’s Juan. He thought he had it. With the wind and all that, in this ballpark -- anywhere, in anyone, but particularly in this one with that wall right there -- you’ve got to get out of the box. Yeah, we’ll discuss that.”

The Mets fell to a fourth loss in five games after a 3-1 defeat against the Red Sox on Monday. Juan Soto would be hoping to end his slump and end the team's losing skid in Tuesday's game.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash