Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images

Juan Soto Hit With 'Disengaged' Accusation After Mets-Yankees

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Amulya Shekhar | Last updated May 19, 2025 2:25 PM ET

The New York Mets lost their Subway Series 2-1 against the Yankees after losing 8-2 on Sunday. Cody Bellinger, who has had a hot run of form recently, hit a grand slam in the eighth inning to put the game beyond the Mets' reach.

Juan Soto, who was playing at Yankee Stadium for the first time as a Met, did not deliver the goods in this series. He went 1-for-10 with four walks through the three games, and was 0-for-4 on Sunday.

Baseball Today analyst Chris Rose took exception to what he felt was apathetic play from the four-time All-Star. Speaking this Monday, Rose pointed out that Soto didn't look motivated for this series, as a returning batsman ordinarily would be:

"It was 2-2. Kind of a weird swing, almost looks like a punch 4-iron, and he didn't hustle at all!"

His co-panelist Trevor Plouffe agreed with this assessment, noting,

"Chris, he didn't hustle all series long. At least I didn't see any hustle out of him. Aaron Judge (hit) a ground-rule double down the right field line in the first inning. He could've got there!"

Juan Soto seemed completely disengaged during the Subway Series pic.twitter.com/lFo7EsWfl9
— Chris Rose Sports (@ChrisRoseSports) May 19, 2025

Plouffe continued with his critique, saying:

"I know speed and defense are not his strong suit, I understand that. But, like, dude, this is a huge series. It's obviously not the playoffs. But if you can't get up and hustle for these games, I don't know what you can get up and hustle for."

Soto has gotten off to a subpar start to his Mets career after signing a whopping 15-year, $765 million deal with them. He's currently slashing .246/.379/.443 for the team. While he does have eight home runs this year, his OPS and WAR are not stellar through eight weeks.

The Mets currently lead the NL East despite subpar hitting from Soto. They can clearly reach a different gear and compete with the defending champion Dodgers if Soto is more of a factor.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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