Juan Soto's clutch hitting sparks joy for struggling Mets

New York Mets left fielder Juan Soto (22) celebrates with right fielder Carson Benge (3) after hitting a grand slam home run against the Miami Marlins during the sixth inning at Citi Field. John Jones-Imagn Images

Juan Soto's clutch hitting sparks joy for struggling Mets

By Vanessa Serrao | Last updated May 31, 2026 11:04 PM ET

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Juan Soto is giving New York Mets fans a reason to have hope this season, as well as some optimism following a poor start.

Soto has been red hot, with his most recent "man of the hour" performance being an electrifying grand slam in a 10-1 victory over the Miami Marlins on Sunday. His clutch hitting has undeniably sparked joy for the Mets.

Following the team's horrid April performance, the Mets have performed far better since the calendar struck May. Their 12-game losing streak from April 8-21 had them drop to 7-16 on the season, holding the worst record in MLB.

The Mets currently hold a 26-33 record and are slowly but surely climbing out of the bottom of the NL East. The impact that Soto has had on the Mets' recent success speaks for itself as he's batting .305 with 13 home runs and 29 RBI.

God this guy is ridiculous.

9 home runs in his last 15 games. The Mets’ first grand slam of the season.

Juan Soto is operating on a completely different plane right now. pic.twitter.com/64gigp8ylT
— Steve Gelbs (@SteveGelbs) May 31, 2026

Why Juan Soto gives Mets fans hope

Overall, establishing himself as a silver lining in a Mets offense that struggled beyond reach in April with slumps and injuries to key players in addition to Soto, such as Kodai Senga, Francisco Lindor and Jorge Polanco.

Polanco is nearing a Mets return following an encouraging rehab assignment. Senga is still working on progressing with his rehab assignment following command struggles, and Lindor is still progressing with his rehab, but no timetable for return has been announced yet.

Overall, the Mets offense isn't the same if Soto is injured and therefore absent from the lineup. He provides a huge presence offensively, and having him out of the lineup for a significant time has impacted the Mets.

Soto missed 15 games in April because of a right calf strain, and his absence presented a lack of depth in an offense that was already struggling. April was just a nightmare that the Mets surely want to put behind them.

Following his IL stint, Soto has been red hot at the plate, hitting for power with homers hit in critical games in late May.

His presence ultimately anchors the lineup with his recent momentum (the grand slam), capped off an unbelievable, offense-filled weekend for Mets fans, where the Mets scored 25 runs and are now on a four-game winning streak.

Vanessa Serrao

Serrao is a freelance baseball writer who has covered all MLB teams, with particular expertise on the Toronto Blue Jays. She is a member of the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America.

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