Mets Expect Juan Soto to Return in 2026

By Dean Koutouratsas

Photo by Elsa/Getty Images

August 25, 2026

With a little more than a month left in the regular season, the New York Mets still expect Juan Soto to make his much anticipated return. The superstar outfielder has been sidelined with a left calf strain since July 25. During his time away, he has made progress and is continuing to do so through baseball activities, interim manager Andy Green revealed.

“I don’t have a specific day yet. He has progressed through baseball activities,” Green said during a press conference ahead of Tuesday’s series opener at Citi Field against the Milwaukee Brewers. “He said it, we said it and we all expect him to be back.”

Where Juan Soto Fits

When the Mets placed Soto on the 15-day injured list that created an opening in the outfield in left. Rookie A.J. Ewing has since filled the gap while Luis Robert Jr. slotted back into center after returning from a back injury of his own.

Robert has recently gotten into a groove, with 11 hits, five home runs and 10 RBI across his last 12 games. The same, however, does not apply to Ewing, who is hitting .244 with seven home runs and 28 RBI on a .681 OPS. Still, the Mets remain committed to Ewing receiving opportunities in the outfield.

If that is the case, Juan Soto might find himself receiving opportunities at the designated hitter spot. After coming off the Injured List in April, he received most of his opportunities as their DH. At that point in the year, he went on a six-game hit streak with two home runs and three RBI.

Before the second injury, Soto was slashing .283/.408/.539 on a .947 OPS and 2.7 WAR. Additionally, he recorded 83 hits, eight doubles, 52 RBI and 21. Needless to say, there benefit from the production of Juan Soto once again.

“I think it adds the best player in baseball to our outfield and DH mix. He can get some DH at-bats in those sort of circumstances as was Juan when he was hitting there before,” Green added.

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Dean Koutouratsas

As a sophomore journalism student at St. John’s University in Queens, New York, Dean Koutouratsas is an aspiring sports journalist with practical experience covering the MLB. He has previously published his work under Athlon Sports, Glitter Magazine and his university’s student run newspaper where he covered his favorite MLB team the New York Mets on multiple occasions.

Dean resides in New York and enjoys attending Mets games during the summer. He can be contacted via X or Linkdien.