The Yankees have been rolling so far this season, but an injury to slugger Juan Soto could impede that momentum.
Soto is expected to undergo tests on his sore forearm to determine the extent of the injury. New York manager Aaron Boone said it’s too early to tell if the right fielder will miss time.
“It’s just been something that’s been bothering him for the last week or so, he’s been getting treatment on it,“ Boone said after Thursday’s game against the Minnesota Twins. ”It hasn’t really affected him in his baseball stuff, throwing or swinging or anything.”
Soto was taken out of Thursday’s game in the sixth inning after a 56-minute rain delay, but the Yankees still won 8-5, extending their winning streak to a season-high eight games.
The Yankees have the best record in MLB at 45-19 and lead the second-place Baltimore Orioles by 4.5 games in the American League East enter this weekend. Soto has played a huge role in that success and the lineup will be hampered if he has to go on the injured list for an extended period.
“I don’t have the specific date, but it’s been like a week and a half or two,” Soto said after Thursday’s game. “I’ve just been grinding through it. It’s kind of funny. It doesn’t hurt when I throw or hit, it’s more like soreness that I feel any kind of move that I make with my arm. But it definitely doesn’t stop me from anything baseball-wise.”
Soto, a three-time All-Star was acquired from the Padres this offseason. He has started all 64 games of the Yankees’ games this season, batting .318 with 17 home runs and 53 RBIs.
Soto has consistently batted second in the lineup ahead of fellow MVP candidate Aaron Judge, who leads the majors with 21 home runs and is third with 54 RBIs. The power duo of Soto and Judge gives the Yankees one of the best 1-2 punches in all of MLB.
Soto has made it clear to fans he feels right at home in the pinstripes and playing at Yankee Stadium. He also endears himself to his teammates, who feed off his energy. The Yankees are flying high, but there is plenty of baseball to play.
“I think everyone’s a little concerned, ” Yankees pitcher Marcus Stroman said about Soto after Thursday’s game. “Hopefully, he’s all right. I am just going to put all the good energy out in the world. I think he'll be back.”
New York leads the majors in runs (321) and RBIs (306), The Yankees are second in homers (93) behind the Orioles (95), and total bases (951) behind the Los Angeles Dodgers (951).
The Yankees players are looking forward to Soto adding to those impressive stats with Judge behind him in the lineup. Their presence in the lineup has helped the other players get pitches to hit.
“They are the two best hitters in the world,” shortstop and leadoff hitter Anthony Volpe said after a 8-3 win over the Los Angeles Angels on May 30. “The pitcher is definitely going to be thinking about them when I’m up, when DJ [LeMahieu] is up, and probably every single other hitter in the lineup is up. So, we definitely want to take advantage of it on base.”
The Yankees also have the pitching to help carry the team this season if the bats slow down. The team has a solid rotation including left-hander Carlos Rodón, Nestor Cortes, and at some point, the injured Gerrit Cole, who was last year’s Cy Young Award winner and a six-time All-Star.
Cole is on the injured list and is recovering from nerve inflammation in his right elbow. He is eyeing a possible return to the rotation in mid-to-late June.
Cole, 33, said he was encouraged by his performance after throwing 3 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing two hits with five strikeouts, in his first rehab game for Double-A Somerset on June 5. His fastball was clocked at 97 mph, so the velocity is already returning.
It was the first game that Cole pitched since one start in spring training on March 1.
“It felt really great to get back out there and get back into the flow of things,” Cole said after the game. “It was really fun overall. It was a nice environment. I felt really great to get back out there and get back in the flow of things, get some adrenaline. I threw all my pitches for strikes. I left a couple of soft-breaking balls over the plate.”
Boone said on Wednesday with regards the rehab process, “We’ll just keep taking it day by day.” June 9 would be Cole’s next turn in the rotation.
“This is about Gerrit and making sure he’s in the best place to be the best version of himself when he comes back,” the Yankees manager said.
