Juan Soto has begun to carry the Mets

Soto's biggest game of the year helped carry the Mets to a 10-8 win over the AL-best Tigers on Monday

What’s up with the Mets? ⚾️

• The Mets beat the Tigers 10-8 in Detroit on Monday afternoon (box)

• Juan Soto had his biggest day as a Met to-date, posting 6 RBI thanks to a grand slam in the fourth and a two-run triple in the sixth

• Luis Torrens also had a big day at the plate with three hits and two RBI

• Sean Manaea struggled again on the mound and was knocked out after 3.2 IP, and Ryan Helsley also struggled again in relief, allowing a run in his only inning of work

• Edwin Díaz nailed down his 25th save of the year with a four-out save

• The Mets scored five more runs with two outs on Monday and went 5-for-14 with RISP

• Monday’s game marked the the 12th time this season they have scored at least 10 runs in a game and won, with six of those games coming since August 1

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Roster Moves 📰

• Luisangel Acuña recalled from Triple-A Syracuse

• RHP Justin Hagenman recalled from Triple-A Syracuse

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Injury Updates 🏥

• INF Tyrone Taylor (sore hamstring) remains out of the lineup but was expected to start running again on Monday

• C Francisco Álvarez (fractured pinky, UCL tear in thumb) will catch today and tomorrow for Triple-A Syracuse

• RHP Tylor Megill (elbow sprain) will make another rehab appearance this week as the Mets continue to build him up as a starter

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Playoff Race 🏁

The Mets did not gain any ground on the Phillies on Monday, as the Phillies rallied to beat the Brewers in Milwaukee 10-8. They remain six games behind the Phillies for first place in the National League East, although should they finish in a tie, the Mets would win the NL East by virtue of the fact they won the season series against the Phillies:

Meanwhile, the Reds rallied to defeat the Blue Jays on Monday, so the Mets did not increase their lead for the third wild card. But the Mets pulled to within two games of the Padres for the second Wild Card and reduced their magic number over the Reds to 21:

Per Fangraphs, the Mets have a 94.5% chance of qualifying for the playoffs.

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Who’s Hot? 🥵

• In his last four games, Juan Soto is hitting .636 (7-for-11) with four home runs, 11 RBI and five walks. Since August 1, Soto is hitting .288/.449/.625 with a triple, 11 home runs and 29 RBI with 11 stolen bases, 29 walks and 29 runs scored

• Luis Torrens has 10 RBI and three doubles in his last 12 games. Since August 1, Torrens has a .790 OPS with three doubles, two home runs and 10 RBI

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Stats of the Day 📊

• Juan Soto passed Mickey Mantle on Monday for the most career games (116) with at least one home run and one walk before turning 27. He also tied his career-high RBI total of six from September 17, 2023, as a member of the Padres

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Play of the Game ⭐️

Juan Soto delivered his signature game of the season on Monday, highlighted by his go-ahead, fourth inning grand slam against Charlie Morton to give the Mets a 6-3 lead.

Of course, Sean Manaea and the Mets pitching staff would cough that lead up, but it was the beginning of a magical day at the plate for Soto, who would also drive in two more runs with a triple in the sixth inning to give him six RBI on the day.

The grand slam was his first home run of the season with more than one runner on-base.

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Down on the Farm 🌾

All Mets minor league affiliates were off on Monday.

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Today’s Game 🗓️

Match-up: Mets (74-64) at Tigers (80-59)

Where: Comerica Park — Detroit, MI

Starters: RHP Nolan McLean (3-0, 0.89 ERA) vs. RHP Sawyer Gipson-Long (0-1, 4.32 ERA)

When: 6:40 PM EDT

Where to Watch: SNY

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Juan Soto has started to carry the Mets towards October ✍️

AP Photo

It took 138 games for Juan Soto to have his signature moment with the Mets in 2025. And did he deliver or what?

A grand slam, triple, six RBIs, seven total bases. His first home run with more than one runner on base. What a day for the future Hall of Famer.

We had been waiting for a game like this from Soto for a long time. But certainly, especially in recent weeks, it seemed like this moment was getting closer and closer as he became white-hot at the plate and began to look like the player the Mets signed to what could amount to $805 million over 15 years.

That’s not to say Soto was having a bad year. Not by a long shot. He was still hitting his home runs, still drawing his walks, still scoring runs, still serving as an impact catalyst at the top of the lineup, especially for Pete Alonso who has unquestionably cashed in (literally and figuratively) due to Soto’s presence over the course of the year.

It’s just that there hadn’t been a game or even a moment where anyone could really conclude Juan Soto put the team on his shoulders and carried them.

“That’s one of the best things you can do as a baseball player — come up clutch for your team and try to help them win the game,” Soto said after the game on Monday.

Even as he had gotten hot at the plate over the last month or so, we were still waiting for that volcano to erupt. And on Monday, he was simply out of control at the plate for the Mets and is the sole reason they won thanks to an explosive performance at the plate.

But like I said before, we shouldn’t poo-poo his season to date. Has it been what it was in 2024? No, but honestly, that’s okay. He was still putting up elite numbers and even if the results weren’t always there, especially in clutch moments (which holds a statistical argument for the season), the peripherals always suggested there was nothing wrong and there was a sleeping monster in the cage.

With that monster having been woken up now, the Mets offense has a new identity.

But back to his season, just have a look at Soto’s paces and NL ranks to date:

Season paces: 42 HR, 105 RBIs, 132 walks, 30 stolen bases

• 36 HR (3rd)

• 90 RBIs (4th)

• 113 BB (1st)

• 26 SB (9th)

• .397 OBP (2nd)

• .518 SLG (7th)

• .915 OPS (4th)

• 4.5 fWAR (9th)

Not bad for a “down year,” as some have called it, is it? He is 20/20 now, he will soon have his first 30/30 season of his career, and while 40/40 seems unlikely right now, it’s not that far-fetched. He is giving the Mets their money’s worth in every way possible, on-pace for a 40+ HR, 100+ RBI season, his second straight season of 40 or more home runs and his third straight season of 100 or more RBI.

AP Photo

Oh, and he’s going to lead the majors for the fifth season in his career, having already posted up his sixth season of 100 or more walks. He’s 26, by the way.

Now, I am not at all suggesting Soto will win the NL MVP Award. Shohei Ohtani is probably the leader and Kyle Schwarber may also be ahead of Soto. But if the Mets make the playoffs, the question voters certainly have to consider is “where would the Mets be without Soto?” One might suggest on a golf course and not in the tournament if things hold through game 162.

At the very least, Soto’s last month of play has injected him into the MVP conversation. And who knows? If he continues at this rate, maybe he can give Ohtani a run for his money.

For now anyway, the Mets need this version of Soto to shine even brighter, especially with the pitching staff in such shambles and every run mattering to support that severe fracture. At this point, he’s almost impossible to get out as he begins to carry this team towards October. He’s coming up with big hits and big home runs, doing so late and close and giving them some massive go-ahead hits and homers as well.

There will always be the hits and homers that help compile season stats for players. It doesn’t matter who it is. Whether it’s Soto, Ohtani, Aaron Judge, they all hit their non-impact home runs over the course of the season. But as we all know, it’s the ones Soto hit on Monday that really matter.

And if the Mets can somehow survive their maddening pitching staff, Monday’s game will be one of the reasons they do.

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Around the League 🚩

• Carson Kelly hit a walk-off single in the ninth as the Cubs beat the Braves 7-6

• Dylan Beavers single in the seventh was the difference in the Orioles 4-3 win over the Padres

• The Rangers stayed red hot with a 7-5 win over the Diamondbacks - they are now just 1.5 games out of a wild card spot

• The Giants pulled back to .500 and have entered the fringe of the Wild Card race after beating the Rockies 8-2