Why Mets made this difficult Juan Soto decision

Earlier in the week, the New York Mets placed star outfielder Juan Soto on the 10-day injured list retroactive to April 4 due to the right calf strain he suffered on April 3. 

While speaking with reporters on Tuesday, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza explained why the club is playing it safe regarding Soto's situation. 

Mets want Juan Soto "to check all the boxes" before he thinks about returning to action

"There’s no reason for us to continue to go day by day, putting him through a series of exercises and make a decision whether he’s going to be available or not," Mendoza said about Soto, per Max Goodman of NJ Advance Media. "We just decided, you know what, take your time before we start putting you through a series of things that he has to check all the boxes. So give it time, and then we’ll get him back when we’ll get him back."

The good news for the Mets is that they won their fourth straight game on Tuesday when they tallied a 4-3 extra-innings victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks. As SNY's Chelsea Janes noted, 26-year-old infielder Mark Vientos helped pick up the slack during the first few days of Soto's IL stint. Fellow promising prospect Ronny Mauricio then delivered the first walk-off hit of his MLB career at a chilly Citi Field on Tuesday afternoon. 

Mets thinking long-term about getting Juan Soto right

Soto reportedly could miss three total weeks because of his setback. While Mendoza understandably wants Soto in the lineup for as many games as possible, the skipper also gets that the risks associated with rushing the 27-year-old back aren't worth the potential rewards at this time of the year. 

"He knows where we are on the schedule," Mendoza added about Soto. "Yes, understanding that every game is important, whether it’s April, May, June, July, all of them count, but it’s no reason for us to continue to push it here while he’s dealing with this."

The Soto-less Mets will continue their three-game home series versus the Diamondbacks when the two clubs meet for a game that was shifted to Wednesday afternoon because of cold weather and windy conditions in Queens.