Mets' luck goes from bad to worse with injuries to Kodai Senga, Luis Robert Jr.; Juan Soto hurting, too
Mets designated hitter Juan Soto is greeted in the dugout after his two-run home run against the Washington Nationals during the fourth inning at Citi Field on Tuesday. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
All it took was one little break to go their way — a would-be double play that extended an inning. And just like that, for one of the few times in this young and tortured season, the Mets’ play on the field managed to assuage some of the losses they experienced off it.
On a day where they shipped Kodai Senga to the 15-day injured list, and Carlos Mendoza disclosed further injuries to Juan Soto (still in the lineup) and Luis Robert Jr. (not), the offense finally sparked to life — thrashing the Nationals, 8-0 Tuesday evening at Citi Field.
Soto, again serving as the designated hitter after experiencing forearm tightness Friday, slammed a two-run homer and Carson Benge went 2-for-4 with two RBIs in support of an excellent Clay Holmes — one of the consistently well-performing pieces of a club desperately trying to bail out of a tailspin. He allowed three hits, all singles, with a walk and six strikeouts.
It was only the Mets’ third win in 18 games.
“Things have got to come together [for us] to come through” this, Soto said. “We just capitalized . . . Sometimes you just need a little lucky [break] to get you going.”
The Mets struck early — on Bo Bichette’s leadoff homer off Zack Littell — and then piled on with a seven-run fourth inning where they finally capitalized on their opponent’s mistakes. Littell allowed a one-out single to MJ Melendez and issued back-to-back walks to Mark Vientos and Brett Baty. That brought up Marcus Semien, who hit a potential double-play ball to third base, but Jorbit Vivas completely muffed the play, allowing the ball to squirt under his glove to score two runs.
Benge then lined a middle-middle fastball to center for a two-run single. Ronny Mauricio singled to put runners on the corners with one out for Bichette, whose sacrifice fly made it 6-0. That set the stage for Soto, who teed off on a hanging sinker, blasting it 381 feet to left-center for his second homer of the year.
“It was kind of the break we were looking for,” manager Carlos Mendoza said of the error. “And not only that, but to be able to cash in . . . We were able to create traffic. It’s something we haven’t been able to do as of late. It was just good to see.”
It was a needed reprieve after an afternoon filled with grim news.
Senga, owner of a 9.00 ERA, was placed on the 15-day IL retroactive to April 27 with lumbar spine inflammation; he received an epidural and won’t be able to throw for about 7-10 days, Mendoza said.
Christian Scott, who walked five batters and lasted 1 1⁄3 innings in his first major-league start since undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2024, was called up from Triple-A Syracuse Tuesday.
David Peterson, relegated to bullpen duty after compiling a 6.41 ERA over his first four starts, will rejoin the rotation and pitch Wednesday, while Scott will get the ball Thursday.
Tobias Myers, who pitched two innings of hitless relief Tuesday, and Sean Manaea will remain in the bullpen, Mendoza said.
Then there were Soto and Robert.
Soto, who hasn’t played in the outfield since being reinstated from the IL on April 22, experienced forearm discomfort after defensive work Friday and the issue had not resolved, Mendoza said.
An MRI showed no structural damage to the ligament, so Soto will continue to undergo treatment and (they hope) eventually be able to play the field in a few days.
It’s far from a worst-case scenario, but it does little to make the bad news around Citi Field feel any less overwhelming.
They floundered their way through a 12-game losing streak while Soto was hobbled with a right calf strain. Francisco Lindor’s left calf strain may sideline him for months. Jorge Polanco has injured joints on both the upper and lower halves of his body, and though he progressed to running at 80% Tuesday and swung in the cage, there’s still no timeline for his return.
Robert, whom the Mets have been careful with due to his extensive injury history, felt his back tighten up after the first game of the disastrous doubleheader against the Rockies Sunday. He’ll undergo treatment and the Mets will reassess him in 48 hours to see if further testing is necessary.
Though hitting only .224, he’s a power threat and another layer of protection for Soto on a team with one of the worst offenses in baseball. Soto came into Tuesday having gone 3-for-15 with three singles and six walks since his reinstatement on April 22.
Since that return, Soto has seen 217 pitches, and 24.9% have been out of the strike zone — the highest percentage of any player who’s seen 200 pitches or more in that stretch, according to Baseball Savant. And in case you’re wondering if the Mets have just run into a spate of really wild pitchers, note that the next highest percentage belongs to Francisco Alvarez, at 12.7%.
Complete performances like Tuesday’s, though, could change that.
“I appreciate the effort that the guys put in,” Soto said. “After Marcus’ ground balls, everyone took great at-bats, getting base hits . . . It was really cool to see.”
Laura Albanese is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. She's been covering MLB since 2014 after starting at Newsday as an intern seven years earlier.
