Mendoza on Soto: 'He's human, he's going to be fine'

BOSTON -- A day after saying he would address Juan Soto’s effort level with the star right fielder, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza declined to divulge the nature of that meeting or even whether it had taken place. But Mendoza did paint the picture of a $765 million player still very much searching for his footing with his new team.

“He’s human. He’s 26, man,” Mendoza said. “He’s going to be fine. He’s Juan Soto.”

Over the past few days, Soto has absorbed criticism largely for not running out balls during Mets losses Sunday in the Bronx and Monday in Boston. Soto did not address reporters following the prior incident and expressed little remorse after the latter, saying simply: “I think I’ve been hustling pretty hard. If you saw it today, you could tell.”

Combined, the incidents served to fuel discourse that Soto has not fully adjusted to life with the Mets after joining them on a record 15-year contract over the winter. Mendoza called Soto’s comments the product of frustration with his results.

“I think he’s comfortable, but everything is new -- not only a new team, but just the new contract, the expectations,” Mendoza said before Soto went 1-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout Tuesday in the Mets’ 2-0 loss to the Red Sox. “He’s always been on winning teams and won a World Series. But this is new territory for him. That’s our job as an organization to continue to help him.”

Mendoza went on to say that “it’s about results there, too,” hitting on another factor that has influenced the outside world’s perspective of Soto: over the first two months of his Mets tenure, Soto is slashing just .247/.379/.437 -- solid enough numbers for some, but far removed from his career slash line of .285/.421/.532 entering this season.

“Even though it’s still New York, it’s a new team, it’s a new franchise, new fan base -- everything,” said longtime Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo. “He has to do everything a little bit differently. It’s not exactly the same as it was there. He’s settling into it, and honestly, he’s human. For where we’re at, he’s still doing great.”

It would indeed be unfair to blame the Mets’ current troubles entirely on Soto, considering the entire offense is 5-for-44 with runners in scoring position over the past week. The Mets went hitless Tuesday with men on base, dropping a third consecutive game for the first time this season. No Met has been immune to the club’s recent offensive freezeout.

But players and team officials continue to preach that such slumps tend to be temporary, the sorts of unavoidable potholes every team hits over the course of a season. It’s important for the Mets to think long term, which means it’s important for them to make sure Soto, their most accomplished offensive player, gets himself right.

“Having him in the middle of our lineup, we couldn’t ask for more,” Nimmo said. “We love it. I know that this is a long season, and he’s going to do great. I have all the confidence in the world with him and the work ethic that he has and the way he goes about it, and honestly just the God-given talent that he has. It’s going to come through.”

Even then, Soto will always elicit headlines for the things he does, both good and bad. That’s what comes from signing the richest contract in professional sports history, and it’s not something that will disappear if he starts to produce closer to his normal levels.

As Soto sat in the clubhouse on Tuesday afternoon, it was difficult not to notice several televisions tuned to a baseball show dissecting his recent play. Perhaps soon their tone will change, but for now, the discourse is something Soto must endure.

“When you sign that type of contract, there’s going to be more eyes on you, and he knows that and he embraces that,” Mendoza said. “He’s always been a superstar. And when you’re a superstar, you’re going to have a lot of eyes on you -- every move you make, everything that you do. I think he’s comfortable. And again, I think he’s just a good player here probably not getting the results he wants.”