ESPN: Yankees’ Favorite star ruled out due to injury

The season has been a rollercoaster ride for the New York Yankees, highlighted by their strong start to the season to their struggles since mid-June. General manager Brian Cashman’s addition of Juan Soto did wonders for the lineup and gave the Yankees a superstar duo alongside Aaron Judge. However, on Thursday, less than 24 hours after celebrating, the Yankees had a scare with Soto. On late Wednesday night, the team was celebrating with beer and champagne after clinching a playoff spot for the first time since 2022.

Jorge Polanco launched a fly ball deep to the right field foul line in the bottom of the seventh inning against the Seattle Mariners. Soto tracked the ball and dived into the wall to make the catch, but he had trouble getting up after the play, hurting his left knee.

Soto was still in the game, though. He’s not completely out of the picture, though.

Juan Soto’s left knee after an outfield collision is examined with an X-ray
Following the game, Soto said that a preemptive x-ray of his left knee will be performed, and that his availability for Friday’s game against the Oakland Athletics will be contingent upon his physical condition. Perhaps the scariest part about this potential injury is that Soto stated that he slid directly into the concrete of the wall.

When Soto brought up concrete, Yankees supporters were brutally reminded of the previous season. Judge was making a catch at Dodger Stadium when he crashed through the outfield gate to the bullpen. Judge sprained his toe, forcing him to miss a significant amount of the season after his foot struck the wall’s exposed concrete.

With a crucial series against the Baltimore Orioles approaching, the Yankees, who have recently secured a postseason spot, are hoping to secure the AL East. Being without Soto come playoff time was the last thing they needed.

In 548 at-bats (149 games) this season, Soto finished with a.286 batting average, a.418 on-base percentage, a.575 slugging percentage, 40 home runs, 103 RBI, 120 runs, and 157 hits.

This winter, Soto will become a free agent and potentially want a contract well in excess of $500 million. It’s frightening to have an injury this late in the season. However, Soto’s main goal is to assist the Yankees in winning their 28th World Series. To start with, Soto and the Yankees are waiting on the outcome of the preemptive x-ray.