Why the Mets' Juan Soto visits bullpen during pitching changes
New York Mets right fielder Juan Soto runs in from the outfield during the first inning against the St. Louis Cardinals in an MLB baseball game at Citi Field on Thursday, April 17, 2025. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Juan Soto has a funny habit. It’s not new, but it’s definitely different.
When Mets manager Carlos Mendoza emerges from the dugout in the middle of an inning, raises an arm to signal for a reliever and takes the ball from the guy on the mound — causing a pause in play that typically lasts a couple of minutes — Soto bails on his post in rightfield and heads to the bullpen.
Soto has done this for years, he said. In his first weeks with the Mets, he has visited the bullpen during mid-inning pitching changes “every game, basically,” Max Kranick said.
The relievers — who in the world of baseball roster building are sort of like the Island of Misfit Toys — welcome Soto, the superstar slugger. But they don’t quite understand why he does what he does.
“I don’t know,” Ryne Stanek said. “The bullpen is a vibe, man.”
Kranick said: “I’m not too sure. I’m interested to hear his answer. I do want to know.”
Well, Juan?
“Why not? Those are great guys,” Soto said. “They’re part of the team. Every single guy on this team is part of it, so we treat everybody equally.
“They are my teammates. It’s great to see those guys and talk to them. It’s interesting what they [see] and what they talk about, how they view the game from there.”
The relievers get a kick out of it. Usually, he comes in, says hello, grabs sunflower seeds or a similar snack and heads back to work. At least once, he used the men’s room. This week in Phoenix, he pulled up a chair for chitchat.
Stanek suggested that maybe Soto likes the 30 seconds of peace and quiet, as opposed to standing out in the open in an often loud ballpark.
Soto said he just likes to hang.
“They were just doing their thing,” he said. “I was sitting there watching and listening to whatever they have to say.”
Soto noted that he did the same in the past with the Nationals, Padres and Yankees. During spring training, he wandered over to the Nationals’ bullpen, even though he barely knew any of those guys, given that club’s turnover in recent years. When Soto sat out the Yankees-Dodgers series last year because of an elbow injury, he spent several innings with the relievers one day, he said.
“It’s just fun,” he said, “to see a different view of the game.”
Minter delayed in 2026?
A.J. Minter’s surgery on Monday to repair his left lat — which he tore off the bone — will come with a rehab period of 10 to 12 months, he said.
That means he might miss the start of the 2026 season.
“Since it’s an arm injury, it’s probably going to be a bit more cautious in spring training, probably a little bit of a slower process,” Minter said, comparing his early 2026 to his early 2025, when he was returning from hip surgery. “Surgery should always be the last scenario . . . I want to pitch for another five, six, seven, eight years. The best route for me is to get the surgery, go in and fix it and be ready to go next year.”
Technically, Minter can opt out of his two-year, $22 million contract after this season. But it is “pretty much safe to say” that won’t happen, he said. He is guaranteed an $11 million salary for next year.
This makes two seasons in a row that Minter’s season ended with surgery — first the hip and now his lat.
“This game will try to beat you down,” he said. “Luckily, I went through the rehab process already. That’s the toughest thing: I worked so hard this offseason to come back and help this team. But you have to go into it with the same mindset, to come back and attack the offseason. It’s an exciting time to be in this organization. I’ll take full advantage of it and help this team next year.”
Young ‘on hold’
The toughest part of Danny Young’s Tommy John surgery — scheduled for Wednesday — is the timing. He didn’t reach the majors until he was 27 and didn’t get consistent time in the big leagues until he was 30.
Now, just as he turns 31 this month, he will be sidelined for about a year.
“You want to be a part of something special — especially a guy like me, got up late, trying to find my footing, kind of started making adjustments, my stuff is way up,” Young said. “You feel like you’re in a position to really do some things. I just want to go wire-to-wire with the group. You want to play 162. You want to play in the postseason. Those are all things you want to do as a player. It just sucks that I can’t, to be honest. It sucks.
“It’s on hold. You sit here and try to be as positive as you can. It’s hard to do right now. It’s on hold until next year.”
Extra bases
Frankie Montas (right lat strain) is due to face batters for the first time late next week, Mendoza said . . . Paul Blackburn (right knee inflammation) will make another rehab start with Triple-A Syracuse on Sunday.
Tim Healey is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. Born on Long Island and raised in Connecticut, Tim has previously worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Boston Globe and MLB.com. He is also the author of “Hometown Hardball,” a book about minor league baseball in the northeast.
