New York Mets slugger Juan Soto has been under quite the microscope this week.
Upon boos that rang in from the New York Yankees crowd in the Bronx this weekend, the $765 million man was criticized for not running out a grounder to second base. Then, on Monday night in Boston, he followed his lack of hustle up with a high fly ball to left field—one he clearly thought was gone—and decided to walk it out instead of running. The result? A clang off the Green Monster for a single that could have easily been a double.
Now, on Wednesday night—after being moved down the lineup by manager Carlos Mendoza—Soto struck out on three straight pitches in his first at bat against Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet. To make matters worse, he didn't swing at a single one.
Take a look:
Garrett Crochet's EPIC Battle against Juan Soto. 😂 pic.twitter.com/zjDP3XULzl
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 21, 2025
Then in his second at bat of the night, Soto again failed to swing—this time striking out on four pitches.
Perhaps he's boycotting his move down the lineup. Either way, it's not a good look.
The 26-year-old Soto is in the midst of a brutal 10+ day stretch in which he's failed to hit a home run or an extra base hit, and has also seen his batting average drop over 20 points. He's currently hitting .244 on the young 2025 season. The Mets are 29-20 though 49 games.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Juan Soto Didn't Even Try As Garrett Crochet Struck Him Out on Three Straight Pitches.
