New York Mets right fielder Juan Soto (22) makes a catch against the Boston Red Sox during the ninth inning at Fenway Park. Eric Canha-Imagn Images

Juan Soto's tailspin continues with disastrous outing vs. Red Sox

By Clark Dalton | Last updated May 22, 2025 8:06 AM ET

If the New York Mets weren't already worried about their 15-year, $765M investment in Juan Soto, they should be.

Entering Wednesday night's road game against the Boston Red Sox, the Mets right fielder had slashed .247/.379/.437 in 48 games. In 157 regular-season games with the New York Yankees last season, he slashed .288/.419/.569.

To help the Mets find an offensive spark, New York manager Carlos Mendoza moved Soto from second to third in the batting order. Mets right fielder Starling Marte hit second, and first baseman Pete Alonso hit fourth.

"There's a good chance I'll keep those guys at three and four," Mendoza said before the game, via Abbey Mastracco of the New York Daily News. "Then, we'll go from there."

Mendoza should reconsider that strategy after Soto had an awful outing against Boston. He struck out on his first two at-bats, even though he didn't swing once.

The Mets are paying Juan Soto $121,875,000 this year (his 2025 salary plus a $75,000,000 signing bonus). pic.twitter.com/pgqzOlBeQy
— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) May 21, 2025

Juan Soto had never struck out on 3 pitches in consecutive ABs in 1 game in his entire MLB career and he just did it looking at all 6 strikes. https://t.co/AG4igkx7eZ
— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) May 21, 2025

When he started swinging, things still didn't improve. In the top of the sixth inning, he struck out on an 86 mph sweeper from Red Sox starting pitcher Garrett Crochet.

Garrett Crochet, Wicked 86mph Sweeper.

Hey, he swung. pic.twitter.com/HhlCrzorqs
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 22, 2025

The Mets still beat the Red Sox 5-1. Soto went 0-for-3 with a walk but did have a sacrifice fly in the top of the seventh inning, sending second baseman Luisangel Acuna home.

New York is 30-20 after beating the Red Sox. Entering the Mets' matchup against Boston, they trailed the Philadelphia Phillies by 1.5 games in the National League East.

While the team is vying for a playoff spot, that doesn't downplay concerns about Soto. In a story published Monday, Bob Klapisch of NJ Advance Media reported the Mets are worried about his "lack of enthusiasm" for his new team.

Whatever his problem is, the Mets need Soto to overcome it soon. They signed him to a record-breaking deal to help them win their third World Series. However, he now seems like an offensive liability.

Clark Dalton

Dalton is a 2022 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He gained experience in sports media over the past seven years — from live broadcasting and creating short films to podcasting and producing. In college, he wrote for The Daily Texan. He loves sports and enjoys hiking, kayaking and camping.

More must-reads: