Juan Soto is struggling in San Diego.
The star outfielder, who was traded from the Nationals to the Padres at the deadline in early August, has not yet found his footing at the plate. Fans have sprinkled in some boos over the disappointment. Compounding matters, Soto got plunked on the shoulder by a 91 mph fastball from Diamondbacks pitcher Tommy Henry on Wednesday and had to leave the game. Padres manager Bob Melvin indicated that Soto suffered a bruise, and should be able to return to action Friday.
“I know they are almost as frustrated as me,” Soto told the San Diego Union-Tribune, speaking about the boo birds earlier this week. “So I understand whatever they are doing.”
“They are fans,” he said. “They want you to be successful. Now sometimes it isn’t going to happen all the time, but we just got to take it like a champ and keep going. They want the team to win. I bet you they don’t want to pay [for] a ticket to come watch the team lose. So I’m telling you, they probably feel a little tough right now.”
Soto is batting .232 with three home runs and a .771 OPS in 127 plate appearances in San Diego. By contrast, last season he batted .313 with a .999 OPS.
Soto spoke about the increasing pressure that comes with playing for a team that is in the hunt — the Padres aren’t catching the Dodgers in the NL West, but they currently lead the Brewers by four games for the final Wild Card spot — as opposed to a team like the Nationals that is undergoing a structural rebuild.
“The challenge is just going from a team that doesn’t care about anything because they know they don’t go anywhere to a team that has a really good chance to win the World Series. That changes everything from one day to another,” said Soto, who won a World Series with the Nationals in his second season.
Nevertheless, he expressed optimism that things will turn around at the right time.
“It’s just been crazy, wild year,” Soto said. “Really different. It just happens. A lot of new coaches in D.C., a lot of new players, new styles. Then coming in here, you know, I’m not going to blame it on anything else, I’m just trying my best and things haven’t been going my way. It’s been kind of tough, but I know I‘m gonna get hot in a really good moment.”
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