SEATTLE — For the second straight season, a Yankees right fielder collided with concrete while making a pretty play on the West Coast.
Last year, Aaron Judge’s sensational grab at Dodger Stadium left him with a torn toe ligament and cost him two months. On Thursday, the playoff-bound Yankees left T-Mobile Park hoping that no such absence awaits Juan Soto after he slid into the wall down the right field line while making a stellar grab in a 3-2 loss to the Mariners.
In doing so, Soto’s left knee squeezed beneath the wall’s padding and made direct contact with concrete. After throwing the ball in, a hobbled Soto went down. Most of the Yankees’ position players, Aaron Boone and training staff went to check on the aching superstar, but he realized he could stay in the game after a few minutes.
“I was really worried,” Soto said of the moment. “I was straight up to the concrete. When I threw the ball, I just felt a lot of pain in my kneecap. But definitely with time, it started going down and feeling better.
“It was a little scary, right there.”
Juan Soto CRASHES into the wall to make an incredible catch, and after being in some pain for a bit will remain in the game. #Yankees pic.twitter.com/PBLXadbjhr
— Fireside Yankees (@FiresideYankees) September 19, 2024
Scary indeed, as worst-case scenarios quickly ran through the minds of the Yankees and their fans.
“That was an amazing play,” said Clarke Schmidt, who watched from the training room after starting. “I’m happy he’s doing good. Your heart definitely skips a couple beats, and I’m sure all the Yankees fans across the world were feeling the same. But happy he’s doing good.”
Added Boone: “My biggest fear was that he twisted something, and I think sliding like that probably preserved him a little bit.”
Despite the panic, Soto said that his bruised knee felt “pretty good” after getting treatment, though it was a little stiff after icing. He walked with a slight hitch into the Yankees’ clubhouse before speaking with reporters.
The plan is for him to get X-rays, but Boone believed the slugger would be OK.
Asked if he would play on Friday in Oakland, Soto said it depended on how he felt in the morning.
An impending free agent, Soto and the Yankees have a lot riding on his health. He’s been nothing short of excellent in his first season with the Bombers, hitting .288/.419/.578 with 103 RBI while recording the first 40-homer season of his career. Those numbers are partly why the Yankees believe they can go on a special run this October, and why Soto could fetch a $600 million contract this offseason.
Asked about going so hard on the play when he has so much at stake — Soto recently noted his free agency unprompted — the 25-year-old said, “It’s just the adrenaline of the game. We’re trying to keep the game [close] right there.”
“I mentioned free agency,” Soto continued. “When I go in those lines, I forget about everything. I literally just focus on the game.”
