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After being criticized for failing to hustle out of the box to first base during Sunday night’s loss to the New York Yankees, New York Mets star outfielder Juan Soto did the same thing the following night against the Boston Red Sox.
Following a three-game series against the New York Yankees in which Juan Soto went 1-for-10 and generally frustrated Mets fans with his demeanor, Soto’s effort — or apparent lack thereof — once again made headlines on Monday night, as both he and his manager were asked about it.
Juan Soto singles off the Green Monster and then steals second base on the next pitch pic.twitter.com/BQoIQAkmlO
— SNY (@SNYtv) May 20, 2025
Soto certainly didn’t seem to agree with the notion that he’s not hustling, saying he thinks he’s been “hustling pretty hard.”
“I think I’ve been hustling pretty hard. If you see it today, you could tell,” Soto told reporters after the game.
Juan Soto was asked about not hustling out of the box last night vs. the Yankees and tonight vs. the Red Sox
"I think I've been hustling pretty hard. If you see it today, you could tell" pic.twitter.com/vOmQivgtZR
— SNY (@SNYtv) May 20, 2025
As for Mets manager Carlos Mendoza, he said the coaching staff will “discuss” hustling out of the box to first base with Soto.
“We’ll talk to him about it,” Mendoza said. “Tonight, obviously, someone gets a hold of one and knows when he gets it, he’s Juan, you know. He thought he had it. With the wind and all that.
“And in this ballpark or anywhere, but in particular this one with that wall right there, you’ve got to get out of the box. We’ll discuss that.”
Carlos Mendoza says the Mets will talk to Juan Soto about running out of the box
"He thought he had it. In this ballpark with that wall right there, you gotta get out of the box. We'll discuss that" pic.twitter.com/2rDuWGRMA4
— SNY (@SNYtv) May 20, 2025
Beyond Soto, the Mets are in the midst of a bit of a slump as they’ve lost 4 of their last 5 games and have scored just ten runs in their last six games.