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The Yankees have had their fair share of bad injury news over the course of the 2024 MLB season, but when it comes to the two main cogs that have kept the offense humming—or, at least, functional at times—the luck has been with them. Those cogs, of course, are likely MVP Aaron Judge and his running mate, outfielder Juan Soto.
The Yankees have played 155 games this year. Judge has bee on the field for 153 of them, and Soto has been out there for 151.
But Soto ran into an injury concern—quite literally—on Thursday when he made a sliding catch that took him into the wall, knee-first, at T-Mobile Park in Seattle. The knee was swollen on Friday morning, and Soto was afraid he’d done some serious damage.
Instead, the Yankees sat him but used Soto as a pinch-hitter on Friday night in the 10th inning against Oakland, and Soto delivered a game-wining double. And on Saturday, Soto was back in the Yankees lineup, going 2-for-6 at the plate with two runs scored. The knee was not 100%, but Soto’s running was not a problem.
“That was encouraging,” manager Aaron Boone said, via the New York Post. “Obviously a little scare when he goes into the wall like that and then having to be scratched [Friday] night before putting his cape on and coming in and doing his thing.
“But I thought he moved pretty well tonight, so that was really encouraging.”
Yankees Rely Heavily on Lineup’s 2-3 Punch
Soto did get X-rays on the knee, and those revealed no significant damage to the kneecap or the knee in general. That was a massive relief for the Yankees, who have seen Soto bat .288 for the year, with a .418 on-base percentage and a .575 slugging percentage.
Soto has knocked in 104 runs and scored 122 on the season, including 40 home runs. That makes Soto involved in 24% of all Yankees runs scored this season. His ability to get on base—he is No. 2 in the league in on-base percentage and walks, trailing Judge in both categories—from the No. 2 spot in the lineup has been critical in setting up Judge’s big season.
New infielder Jazz Chisholm is batting .275, but no other Yankees regular has been effective at the plate. The team’s fourth-best hitter has been second baseman Gleyber Torres, who is at .253 for the season. No other Yankees hitter is better than .250.
Juan Soto Has Much at Stake in Coming Months
After the injury, Soto was just about as worried as the rest of Yankees fandom. The knee swelled up, but improved with a visit to the trainers.
“At that moment, I was literally just thinking about my health,” Soto said, via MLB.com. “I know everybody wants me to be healthy in the playoffs. Definitely, I was thinking about my health more than anything else. … It’s a bruise, because I hit it off the wall — literally straight up in the concrete. It definitely feels better [after getting treatment].”
In the bigger picture, Soto also has free-agency to be concerned about. He is expected to garner a contract worth well north of $500 million, which would be second only to Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani.
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