New York Mets star Juan Soto had his effort questioned after one play in Friday’s game against the San Diego Padres.
Soto was caught not hustling during the third inning of Friday’s game at Petco Park in San Diego, Ca. Soto hit a routine ground ball to second, but Padres second baseman Sung-mun Song bobbled it and struggled to make the throw.
Because Soto was not running hard, however, he was still thrown out.
"Soto decided not to run!"
— Talking Friars (@TalkingFriars) June 6, 2026
$765 million by the way…Yikes pic.twitter.com/qeTPJeGLpB
Nobody is expecting Soto to be busting it out of the batters box on a routine ground ball, but he was simply jogging with his head down. Because he was not paying attention, he did not react immediately when the ball was bobbled, either. All of those factors combined to ensure that Soto was still out.
This is not even the first time Soto’s effort has been questioned. It’s a bad look for someone who has a $765 million deal and is supposed to be a team leader, whether he embraces the role or not.
Soto ultimately went 0-for-4 in a 5-0 Mets victory. He is hitting .287 with 13 home runs on the season.
