All eyes in Major League Baseball will be on Yankee Stadium this weekend.
The New York Mets face the New York Yankees in a three-game set from Friday to Sunday, which means Juan Soto will face off against the team he left in the offseason to take a $765 million contract with their crosstown rival.
Yankees fans aren't known for their compassion towards opponents, and Soto might be the most notable friend-turned-enemy in franchise history. The superstar right fielder can expect to get booed relentlessly throughout the weekend.
It seems the Mets are preparing Soto for the mental toll of such an emotionally-charged series, because they gave him a day off for the first time all season on Wednesday.
Manager Carlos Mendoza explained the thinking behind Soto getting an extra rest day ahead of the showdown with the Yankees in the Bronx, saying back-to-back days off could be a real reset for the 26-year-old.
“It was a back-and-forth until I finally told him, ‘You’re going to be down,’” Mendoza said, per Mike Puma of the New York Post.
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However, Mendoza also recounted that Soto had a vigorous lift in the Citi Field weight room before the game despite not being in the lineup.
“But that says a lot of who he is as a player, as a person, that on a day when he’s not in the lineup he’s getting after it pretty good in the weight room,” Mendoza said.
Soto played 157 games last year, and all 162 the year before that. His availability is something he hung his hat on in free agency, so even though he's now signed the biggest contract one could possibly dream of signing, it's good for Mets fans to see he still cares about suiting up every day.
All eyes will be on Soto this weekend. Perhaps his fresh legs can help him silence the raucous Yankee Stadium crowd with a home run or two.
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