Veteran Mets player defends Juan Soto amid inconsistent start to season

For a piece published on May 18, MLB insider Andy Martino of SNY noted that veteran Mets outfielder and designated hitter Starling Marte was helping outfielder Juan Soto become more settled with his new club amid Soto's rocky start to the season. 

Ahead of what became New York's 2-1 win over the lowly Chicago White Sox on Monday afternoon, Marte spoke with Manny Gomez of NJ Advance Media for NJ.com about how Soto is fitting in with the Mets behind the scenes. 

"He’s doing a good job," Marte said about Soto. "He interacts with the guys well and talks to them. He spends a lot of time in the cages — almost every day. He’s starting to feel better with each passing day. He’s a guy who doesn’t pay much attention to what’s said in the media. He focuses on being better every day and works really hard." 

Soto failing to match the value of his 15-year, $765M contract has generated numerous headlines over the first two months of the campaign even though the Mets won 33 of their first 54 games. As of Tuesday morning, Soto was slashing .233/.361/.409 with a .771 OPS, eight home runs and 25 RBI on the season. 

A report from earlier in May said that individuals within the Mets' "hierarchy" were "concerned" about the lack of enthusiasm Soto had shown after he left the New York Yankees to sign with the Amazins this past offseason. Yankees play-by-play announcer Michael Kay later shared that he had heard Soto has been "very, very glum around the clubhouse" this spring. 

While Soto went 2-for-14 with a double and three RBI as the Mets took two of three games from the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers this past weekend, he delivered a game-tying sacrifice fly in the bottom of the eighth inning of Monday's victory. According to Peter Sblendorio of the New York Daily News, that was the first time Soto had produced a game-tying or go-ahead RBI in the eighth inning or later of a contest this season.

"I just tell him to stay the course and be patient because everything will fall into place," Marte added. "Everybody knows the caliber of player he is. So, keep working hard because he’s hitting the ball really hard, and they’re just not falling. But when they do start to fall, everyone will see how great he is. And he’ll start to feel better."

For what it's worth, Soto was an active participant in the on-the-field celebration after shortstop Francisco Lindor walked the White Sox off on Monday.