Juan Soto is dealing with left forearm tightness, and it would be easy to fear the worst in what’s been a train wreck of a Mets season.
And one game in which the Mets offense finally awoke — for one inning, anyway — and a home run from Soto were hardly enough to ease the nerves.
Still, Soto insisted the discomfort in his forearm is not a big deal after he served as the DH in an 8-0 win over Washington at Citi Field and hit his second homer of the season.
It came after Carlos Mendoza said Soto felt tightness for the first time after throwing Friday.
The discomfort led to an MRI, which was clean, and Mendoza said Soto — who has been limited to DH duty since coming back from a calf strain — could be in left field “in the next few days.”
Tuesday, at least, he felt good enough to help the Mets pile on the Nationals, and afterward, Soto said the outburst by the Mets, most of which came in a seven-run fourth, let the Mets “remember what we’re capable of.”
But they proved during his 15-game absence due to the strained right calf earlier in the season that they cannot withstand his loss for any length of time.
And they might not be all that great even when Soto is in the lineup.
A healthy Soto, though, gives the Mets a chance.
He entered Tuesday just 3-for-15 with six walks and no extra-base hits since his return from the calf injury.
The 104 mph shot out to left-center on a sinker from Zack Littell was Soto’s first home run since April 1 and certainly would have been of greater value while they were being embarrassingly shut down by the Rockies last weekend instead of up 6-0 on the Nationals, but the Mets will take it.
And the Mets hope it’s a sign that Soto is close to finding his rhythm at the plate.
After struggling without their star, they lost Francisco Lindor to a calf strain the same day Soto returned.
Soto added his calf is now “100 percent,” and he didn’t seem overly concerned about his arm, saying he felt “comfortable right now.”
He’ll keep receiving treatment for the forearm, as well as continue a throwing program, and his swing is unaffected.
Soto hasn’t played in the outfield since April 3 and has often said he prefers to play defense rather than be limited to DH.
While that’s not an option for the time being, Soto said he’s making the most of it as he attempts to get back into form by taking extra swings in the cages.
And for a Mets team that’s seen almost nothing but bad news, it’ll take any positive they can get.
