Juan Soto Sends Clear Message to Critics on Painful Slump After Francisco Lindor’s Emotional Plea

At this stretch of the season, the spotlight hasn’t been kind to Juan Soto. If it’s a swing or if it’s a miss or any move whatsoever, it’s bound to be magnified. He entered Saturday hitting just .143 with two extra-base hits across his last 17 games. In an intense three-game series against the Chicago White Sox, he went 0-for-12, along with 3 strikeouts. It was high time to shift the narrative. And guess what? He did!

Soto halted the 17-game home run drought on Saturday against the Colorado Rockies. In the fourth inning, he hit a 404-foot homer straight to left center field and helped the NY Mets secure an 8-2 win over the Rockies. After his long-standing homer-less stretch, Saturday was a good start. He silenced the critics with his bat and his words.

In a media appearance after the game, Soto sent a clear message that he’s not deterred by the critics. “There’s still a long way to go. It feels good, but we’ve got to keep working,” he said. In fact, Brandon Nimmo also homered right before Soto. And he referred to Soto’s ninth blast of the season as “a sign of good things to come.”

Well, after all, he hadn’t gone deep since May 9. Whether he’s raking or riding a slump, there have always been uninvited opinions on him. Just before the Rockies-Mets game, his teammate, Francisco Lindor, stepped up to stand between the noise and Soto.

He made a plea to the Metsies and said, “Continue to give him love; he deserves it…he has been an important addition to the team.” Lindor’s heartfelt plea was just an attempt to protect his teammate, who is still adjusting under relentless scrutiny. Lindor expressed how Soto has been more like a brother to him and always helps him with hitting.

With that, Soto is entirely locked in his routine, and hopefully, soon enough, all the noise around his slump will go away.

After Lindor, Pete Alonso breaks his silence on Juan Soto over his ongoing tough patch

Currently, Juan Soto holds a slash line of .229/.355/.400 and 4 hits over his last 31 at-bats. More than battling pitches, he’s clearly battling pressure. He has a calm demeanor and the teammates who stand by him.

After Lindor’s plea to the Metsies, slugger Pete Alonso, speaking with Foul Territory, was quick to defend Soto. Emphasizing Soto’s $765 million contract value, Alonso said, “I don’t think anyone could ever put themselves in his shoes because he’s got the largest contract in all of sports.” It’s anything but easy. The higher the contract, the higher the expectations, and being in Soto’s shoes at this point is basically being in a bright spotlight for each little move you make.

For Soto, “it’s all about winning,” Alonso added. Entering Saturday, the Mets were 6-4 across their past 10 games. The team is doing their all to stack up wins, even with Soto’s ongoing adjustment struggles.

The fact that the Mets are not doing that badly right now is good for Soto as well. Cause his off-season addition questions would grow louder. Alonso witnessed the work Soto puts in to turn things around. He’s been a team-first guy.

“Even though he’s not necessarily having the type of season he wants to have and he knows he’s capable of, he’s been very present,” Alonso concluded. Soto did enter the 2025 season on a promising note. The start of the season wasn’t kind to him. But it’s looking better now after the Mets dominated the Rockies with Soto’s lead. Let’s hope for his consistency.

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