Projecting Mets lineup without injured Juan Soto, who is out 2-3 weeks
· Yahoo Sports
NEW YORK — The New York Mets once again have a void in left field.
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Juan Soto had shifted to that spot during the spring following the departure of Brandon Nimmo. Now, Soto will miss two to three weeks with a right calf strain.
Carlos Mendoza is fortunate that Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns built a versatile roster of players who can play several different positions. The Mets manager has at least four different players who can line up in left field in Soto's absence.
Who will play left field for Mets with Juan Soto out?
As the Mets face their first series without Soto beginning Tuesday against the Diamondbacks, Mendoza has a number of different options to play left field. The natural outfielders are Carson Benge and Tyrone Taylor, while the skillsets of Jared Young and Brett Baty stretch from the diamond backward.
Baty was scratched from the left field spot pregame on Sunday with left thumb soreness but is expected to be available on Tuesday.
Some players are likely to be rewarded for their strong starts to the 2026 season, with Mark Vientos opening the campaign on the bench but earning his way into a regular first base role by going 10-for-21 with one home run, five RBI and four runs. That leaves only the designated hitter spot for Jorge Polanco, who is playing through Achilles tendinitis.
With the Mets due to face right-hander Zac Gallen on Tuesday, and without the presence of Soto, here is how the lineup could be filled by Mendoza:
NY Mets projected lineup without Juan Soto
- Francisco Lindor, SS
- Bo Bichette, 3B
- Jorge Polanco, DH
- Luis Robert Jr., CF
- Brett Baty, RF
- Mark Vientos, 1B
- Marcus Semien, 2B
- Carson Benge, LF
- Francisco Alvarez, C
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Juan Soto injury: Projecting NY Mets lineup as slugger is on IL