Marcus Semien makes big admission about Mets pressing amid Juan Soto absences

The New York Mets began what became a four-game winning streak on the same evening that star outfielder Juan Soto went down with a right calf strain.

However, the Mets have since suffered six straight losses, the most recent of which was a 4-0 defeat at the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday night that featured New York producing just three hits.

Shortly after the Mets fell to 7-10 on the season, second baseman Marcus Semien was asked if he thinks he and his teammates are pressing at the plate with Soto sidelined. Per Ben Krimmel of SNY, Semien somewhat alarmingly admitted that he feels there are "times when we press" during the club's current offensive slump.

Mets hitters going through a "frustrating" time

"Can’t speak for everybody," Semien continued. "I think everybody wants to do the best they can to help us win, especially when our pitchers are throwing the ball the way they are. So when it doesn’t happen for you, it’s frustrating." 

The Mets have scored only nine total runs during their current losing streak, and there's no indication that Soto will return to action ahead of the announced recovery timeline. As John Flanigan of SNY shared, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said ahead of Monday's loss that the team "remains hopeful that Soto will be able to meet the two-to-three week recovery period that they put out when he first landed on the injured list last week." 

Soto suffered the injury on April 3. 

"We need to make sure he comes back healthy," Semien said about Soto. "Definitely don’t want to see a situation where he comes back too soon, and something worse happens. We’re trying to hold it down for him. It didn’t go well for us [Monday night], it has not been going well, but all we can do is work hard." 

Carlos Mendoza sends message to Mets hitters

Thus far, Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns dismantling and then restructuring the core of the club's roster this past offseason hasn't gone as he hoped. Following Monday's defeat, Mendoza delivered a message to players who may or may not be "pressing" amid Soto's ongoing absences. 

"You gotta keep going," Mendoza said. "You gotta keep going. Their back of the baseball card will say that they’ll come out of it. We just gotta continue to push those guys, and continue to work them. You're going to go through stretches where it's hard. And, right now, we're in the middle of that stretch. You've got to just ride the storm and keep going. Gotta keep going."

Whispers about Mendoza possibly being on the hot seat may get louder if the storm worsens for the Mets before he gets Soto back. 

The Mets will continue their three-game series at the Dodgers (12-4) on Tuesday night.