MIAMI — Juan Soto picked the wrong day to feel the effects of the bug that has passed through the Mets clubhouse.
The All-Star outfielder was scratched from Sunday’s starting lineup and unavailable for the Mets in their 4-0 loss to the Marlins.
Soto’s sickness removed one of the few bats that has produced for the team lately. He owns a 1.342 OPS with six homers over his past 10 games.
Manager Carlos Mendoza indicated he was unsure whether Soto would be available to play Monday, when the Mets open a series against the Reds at Citi Field.
Mets’ Juan Soto sits in the dugout during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Miami Marlins, Saturday, May 23, 2026. AP Photo/Lynne Sladky
“We’ll see,” Mendoza said, noting that Soto had a fever and weakness. “A few guys that had it, it’s kind of like a 24-hour thing. Hopefully that is the case.”
MJ Melendez replaced Soto in Sunday’s lineup and went 1-for-2, reaching base three times.
A.J. Minter pitched a scoreless inning for Triple-A Syracuse in potentially his final rehab appearance before rejoining the Mets. The lefty reliever has not pitched for the team since April 2025, when he tore a lat and underwent subsequent surgery. Minter also had hip discomfort this month that slowed his rehab.
Christian Scott credited his splitter for giving him a boost in his best outing of the season. The right-hander pitched 5 ²/₃ scoreless innings and allowed four hits and two walks, departing after 94 pitches.
“I feel confident in [the splitter], especially to lefties,” Scott said. “Today I was able to throw it early in counts and had better feel for it today. That has come a long way so far.”
Scott loaded the bases in the third inning on a single and two walks but got the final two outs in the inning to leave all three runners stranded.
“Those two walks to load the bases, just be able to do a better job of getting the strike zone early and make them beat me on my best stuff rather than giving in to hitters there,” Scott said.
