Juan Soto Defends Himself Amidst Lack of ‘Hustle’ Criticism Following 3-1 Loss Against Red Sox

Juan Soto defended himself after some lack of 'hustle' comments were thrown at him for his slow baserunning against the Yankees and Red Sox.

Juan Soto Defends Himself Amidst Lack of ‘Hustle’ Criticism Following 3-1 Loss Against Red Sox

Juan Soto (Image via Fox News)

4-time MLB All-Star Juan Soto has once again attracted headlines for his actions on the field. On Monday, the Dominican International defended himself after some lack of ‘hustle‘ criticism was thrown at him for his performance against the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox.

Before the matchup against the Red Sox, the Mets were in the Bronx to take on their crosstown rivals in the Subway Series. This marked the first return of Soto to the Yankee Stadium since his mega $765 million deal with the Mets in December last year.

The reception he got on his return was something that he was expecting. Fans would rain down loud chorus of boos and turned their backs on him as he entered the field.

In the final game against the Yankees, Soto would hit a grounder to second base and was slow to jog to first base. By the time he picked up the pace, it was too late.

On Monday night against the Red Sox at Fenway Park, he would hit a long ball, which he thought would go over the Green Monster. The ball instead bounced off the wall and came back in, leading to just a single instead of a multi-base hit as Soto was slow to start his jog from the batter’s box.

All of this led to many claiming that he was lacking the ‘hustle’ part in his game. Earlier, his manager, Carlos Mendoza, told the reporters that they would have a word with Soto regarding the ‘hustle.’

When asked about his hustling, the 26-year-old star defended himself amidst the criticism and expressed that he did work hard in the game against the Red Sox.

I think I have been hustling very hard. If you saw it today, you could tell.

SNY broadcasters discuss Juan Soto’s slow baserunning during game against the Red Sox

Juan Soto‘s slow baserunning against the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox became a topic of discussion among experts on Monday. SNY broadcasters Gary Cohen and Keith Hernandez did not seem too happy with Soto’s performance from the batter’s box to first base.

Juan Soto
Juan Soto (Image via MLB)

Soto was slow to jog to first base in the top of the sixth inning after his shot bounced off the ball. While he did manage to steal a base and reach 2nd base, Cohen joked that Soto knew he had to be on second base from the start.

He (Soto) knew he was supposed to be on second. But it is part of a larger pattern with Soto. He’s not running hard all the time and this is something he really needs to clean up.

Before Cohen made that comment, his commentary partner, Keith Hernandez, seemingly took a shot at Soto. The Mets star should have known that it was not going to be a homerun as “he’s played here enough” according to Hernandez.

Juan Soto and NY Mets experience massive dip in form

After starting off strong, the New York Mets have experienced a massive dip in form. Juan Soto is one of the superstar who has also experienced a poor stretch of run in recent times.

Juan Soto
Juan Soto (Image via NY Post)

In his highly anticipated return to the Bronx, Soto struggled heavily at the plate. During the 3-game series against the Yankees, he managed to get just one hit as he went 1-for-10 and struck out 3 times. On Monday against the Boston Red Sox, he went 1-for-4. He has managed just 2 hits in his last 14 plate appearances.

As for the Mets, they have lost 4 out of their 5 games. This run of form has seen their record go from 28-15 to 29-19 while also going from first to second in the NL East standings.

Following this series against the Red Sox, the Mets will face the Los Angeles Dodgers. Their upcoming opponents are also facing a slump in form and lost their 4th successive game following a 9-5 loss on Monday against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

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