Juan Soto is about to throw it back to his San Diego Padres days.
New York Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns spoke with reporters on Tuesday. During his remarks, Stearns revealed that the Mets star outfielder Soto will be making a major change for the 2026 season.
Soto is set to move from right field to left field for the Mets. Stearns added that Soto has been working out in left this offseason and feels “really comfortable” at the position.
David Stearns announces that Juan Soto will play left field for the Mets this season pic.twitter.com/1P2kD1GpTQ
— SNY (@SNYtv) February 10, 2026
The 27-year-old Soto was a full-time right fielder last season for the Mets, his first with the team. He made 157 of his 160 appearances in right (with the other three coming at designated hitter).
Soto was also the everyday right fielder for the New York Yankees for his one season there in 2024. In fact, the last time that Soto played regularly in left field was with the San Diego Padres during the 2022 and 2023 campaigns.
The proud owner of the largest contract in sports history (15 years and an eye-watering $765 million), Soto actually has almost as much career experience in left field as he does in right thanks to his early days with the Washington Nationals. With longtime left fielder Brandon Nimmo having been dealt to the Texas Rangers, the move to left for Soto makes plenty of sense for the Mets, who also added a former All-Star outfielder via trade a few weeks ago.
