Juan Soto Exits Mets-Dodgers Game With Left Calf Soreness in 6th Inning

Q: Will Juan Soto's surprise cameo in Emma Stone's new movie become the only highlight of a disastrous 100-loss season for New York?

Probably not, but it is becoming a symbol of how bleak the Mets’ season has turned. Soto’s brief appearance in Emma Stone’s upcoming film “The Catch” is a quirky off-field footnote, not the defining baseball moment the Mets want attached to 2026. The larger story is that New York’s highest-paid and best hitter is again dealing with calf trouble, and that matters far more than the cameo. Soto left Friday’s loss to the Dodgers after a recurrence of left calf soreness and is due for imaging, with interim manager Andy Green acknowledging the possibility of another injured-list stint. If Soto misses time, the Mets’ season gets even darker. He is their only All-Star and one of the few productive bats on a club near the bottom of the league offensively. Through 84 games, Soto is hitting .283 with a .947 OPS and 21 home runs, production that has largely insulated him from the broader failure around him. The team is 43-60 and on pace for a 90-plus-loss season, with some reports framing 100 losses as a realistic threat if the slide continues. So the cameo will draw attention because it is unusual and lighthearted, especially in a lost year. But if the Mets avoid a full collapse, the more lasting highlight would still be Soto’s on-field output. If his calf issue worsens and the trade deadline brings further sell-offs, then the movie appearance could become an uncomfortable shorthand for a season in which almost everything else went wrong.

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jul 25

Juan Soto left the Mets' game against the Dodgers in the sixth inning after drawing two walks, adding a fresh setback to New York's injury troubles.
Left calf soreness has lingered since July 16, and the Mets had already given Soto time off earlier this week to manage it.
Andy Green said before Friday's game that the issue was improving and hoped it would no longer be a topic after the game.
Soto, 27, is the Mets' only 2026 All-Star and is hitting .283 with 21 home runs through 84 games, raising the stakes if he misses time.
The injury concern lands in the second year of Soto's 15-year, $765 million contract, deepening pressure on a high-payroll Mets team.