Juan Soto DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto homered for the second straight game in the team's 5-0 win over the Washington Nationals on Wednesday. Soto blasted a two-run shot off right-hander Jake Irvin and notched a single during a 2-for-4 night. After signing a 15-year, $765 million contract in free agency, Soto endured a rocky first couple of months as a Met. He has returned to his superstar form in June, though, having gone 13-of-34 (.382) with four long balls, eight RBI, 13 runs, and 12 walks against seven strikeouts. That spectacular output over a 10-game span has raised Soto's line to .252/.387/.467 with 13 homers, 35 RBI, and 49:55 K:BB through 302 plate appearances. With Soto ranking among the elite in most batted-ball metrics, fantasy managers should expect his production to keep rising over the next couple of months. He may be in for another big game Thursday versus Nationals starter Michael Soroka. Soto has gone 6-for-10 with two HRs, four walks, and one strikeout against the righty.

New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto homered for the second straight game in a 5-3 win over the Colorado Rockies on Sunday. Soto's solo shot, his 10th of the year, was his lone hit during a 1-for-2 afternoon. He also chipped in a walk and an additional run scored. Soto had gone 17 straight games without an HR before he went deep in the Mets' win on Saturday. However, the 26-year-old superstar looked more like his typical self this weekend. He's now batting .233/.363/.429 in his first 259 plate appearances as a Met. As a lifetime .282/.417/.525 hitter, odds are Soto's production will keep rising as the season advances. He'll attempt to stay hot against Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Dustin May on Monday. May has held the upper hand in their matchups, having limited Soto to a weak 1-for-9 line with a double, three walks, and two strikeouts.

New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto broke a 17-game home run drought on Saturday to help the club to an 8-2 win over the Colorado Rockies. Soto, who hadn't gone yard since May 9, delivered a 404-foot solo shot against Rockies right-hander Antonio Senzatela in the fourth inning. He finished the day 1-for-3 with a walk and an additional run scored. Soto's now hitting .231/.357/.413 with nine homers in 255 plate appearances. While that is above-average production, it's not the type of all-world output the Mets or fantasy managers were expecting from the superstar this year. However, there's hardly reason to panic. With 43 walks against 42 strikeouts, Soto has continued to show elite plate discipline this season. He also ranks in the league's 98th percentile in xwOBA (.422), which suggests a turnaround is on the way. Soto has a good chance to carry Saturday's success into Sunday against struggling Rockies left-hander Carson Palmquist (8.78 ERA in three starts).

New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto did not play his part offensively in Tuesday's 6-4 win over the White Sox. Soto went 0-for-4 with a strikeout. The 26-year-old signed a massive 15-year, $765 million contract this spring but has failed to live up to the hype so far, slashing .228/.355/.401 with eight home runs, 25 RBI, and seven stolen bases in 242 plate appearances. He has managed decent counting stats and has walked at a solid 16.9% clip, but he has recorded a hit in just one of his last six games. Soto has been one of fantasy's top players throughout his career, leaving fantasy managers with little to do but hope he can get back to his typical ways. In the interim, they may want to consider sitting Soto if they can afford to do so until he figures things out.

New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said he plans to speak to superstar outfielder Juan Soto about his lack of hustle after Soto was held to a single in Monday's game against the Boston Red Sox on a ball that hit high off Fenway Park's Green Monster in a 3-1 loss. Soto thought the ball he hit was a home run, slowly jogging to first base before realizing the ball didn't leave the park and being held to a single. "I think I've been hustling pretty hard. If you saw it today, you could tell," Soto said. The 26-year-old also jogged slowly out of the box in Sunday's 8-2 loss to the Yankees on a ball up the middle in which he was thrown out by multiple steps. He's currently slashing .246/.376/.439 with eight homers and six steals in the first year of a 15-year, $765 million contract. Soto's on-base percentage, slugging and OPS are all the lowest marks of his career going into Tuesday's action.