Juan Soto injury: Yankees star undergoes X-rays after bruised hand forces scratch vs. Blue Jays

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New York Yankees slugger Juan Soto was a late scratch from Saturday’s loss against the Toronto Blue Jays (box score) with a bruised right hand, the team announced. After the game, manager Aaron Boone told reporters that Soto is dealing with swelling in his hand, but that X-rays came back negative and no further tests are scheduled.

Soto suffered the injury sliding into home in the fourth inning of Friday’s win (NY 16, TOR 5). His hand came down on the plate hard and he was seen in the dugout grimacing and shaking it out later in the inning. Soto did remain in the game and hit a long three-run home run in the sixth inning. His hand was clearly wrapped up on Saturday:

Here’s the play in question:

Needless to say, losing Soto for any length of time would have been a devastating blow to a Yankees team that, despite Friday’s blowout win, has lost eight of their last 10 games and 13 of their last 21 games. Soto is on the short list of the game’s best hitters and is impossible to replace. He’s hitting .302/.434/.570 with 20 homers and leads MLB in on-base percentage.

The Yankees are already without Anthony Rizzo (broken hand) and Giancarlo Stanton (hamstring strain), both of whom will be out several more weeks. Prior to Friday’s outburst, the Yankees had scored two runs or fewer in four of their last six games. Soto and Aaron Judge are two of the very best hitters in the sport, but they are only two men.

This is Soto’s second injury scare of June. He missed three games with left forearm inflammation from June 7-9, though tests showed no structural damage. Soto did not receive an injection or anything beyond medication and normal treatment.