Jun 25, 2025; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets right fielder Juan Soto (22) reacts after hitting a solo home run in the seventh inning against the Atlanta Braves at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Former Yankees Star Wins Award Before Subway Series

Originally posted on New York Yankees on SI
By Jack Markowski | Last updated Jul 3, 2025 12:08 PM ET

A former New York Yankees superstar took home some hardware ahead of another Subway Series bout against his old club this weekend.

On Thursday, MLB crowned New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto as the National League Player of the Month for June.

Cal Raleigh: .300 AVG, 1.088 OPS, 11 HR, 27 RBI
Juan Soto: .322 AVG, 1.196 OPS, 11 HR, 20 RBI

Your AL and NL Players of the Month for June presented by @Chevrolet! pic.twitter.com/O3ZgUabfFM
— MLB (@MLB) July 3, 2025

Soto's 11 home runs tied for the third-most over the course of a single month in franchise history. Furthermore, he joined fellow former Yankee Darryl Strawberry as the only two Mets to ever record 10 or more long balls and 20 or more walks in a single month.

The 26-year-old's 1.196 OPS and 227 wRC+ were both tops in the NL during June, while his 11 homers and 1.7 fWAR placed him in ties atop the leaderboard with Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suarez and Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz, respectively.

Soto is now slashing .257/.395/.500 on the year with 20 home runs, 47 RBIs and 10 stolen bases. He also leads the league with 71 walks and stands a strong chance of cracking the NL All-Star roster, which will be revealed on ESPN this Sunday at 5 p.m. EST.

The Yankees bore witness to Soto's excellence throughout the 2024 campaign after acquring him via trade from the San Diego Padres in December 2023. He formed the league's most lethal one-two punch with Aaron Judge as the club finished the regular season with a 94-68 record and won the AL East.

Soto hit .288/.419/.569 with a career high 41 home runs over 157 games, earning him a third-place finish in AL MVP voting while Judge fetched the award for the second time in his career.

In the playoffs, Soto posted a 1.101 OPS. He also blasted a three-run homer vs. the Cleveland Guardians during the 10th inning in Game 5 of the ALCS that sent the Yankees to the World Series for the first time since 2009.

The Los Angeles Dodgers bested the Bronx Bombers in five Fall Classic games, and Soto would proceed to sign a record-breaking $765 million deal over 15 years with the Mets this past offseason.

Fans peppered Soto with plenty of boos when he returned for the first iteration of this year's Subway Series at Yankee Stadium in May. He went 1-for-10 with four walks in that three-game set, and the Yankees' pitching staff will hope to silence his bat once again at Citi Field this weekend while both teams look to break out of their respective ruts.

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