New York Yankees fans fall more in love with Juan Soto by each passing day. The All-Star right fielder is putting the finishing touches on the best 162-game season of his career (.286 batting average, 40 home runs, .575 slugging and .993 OPS). It is not just Soto’s top-notch power and plate discipline that is enthralling The Bronx, though. His energy and dedication has deeply resonated with fans, especially the Bleacher Creatures. But with such passion, comes some risk.
While making a stellar sliding catch in foul territory during the Yankees’ 3-2 loss versus the Seattle Mariners on Thursday, Soto crashed into the wall. He alleviated fears by getting up and staying in the game, but New York is not taking any chances. The 25-year-old is being scratched from the team’s lineup for Friday’s game against the Oakland Athletics because of soreness and swelling, according to MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch.
Soto’s X-rays are negative, so perhaps Yankees brass is primarily just being cautious. A banged-up slugger could severely threaten their October plans, which center around ending a 15-year World Series drought. If one of the ballclub’s top-two players enters the playoffs at well less than 100 percent, then New York’s offense might look as frighteningly shallow as it has in past postseasons…