Yankees’ Juan Soto to Get X-Rays on Knee Injury, Called Situation ‘a Little Scary’

Andrew PetersSeptember 20, 2024

Alika Jenner/Getty Images

New York Yankees star Juan Soto will undergo X-rays after suffering a knee injury while making a sliding catch against the Seattle Mariners on Thursday, per MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch.

Soto made an impressive catch in the seventh inning on a foul ball, hitting his knee on the wall and coming up in obvious pain. According to Hoch, the X-rays are precautionary and Soto “feels pretty good; not bad at all.”

Talkin’ Yanks @TalkinYanksJuan Soto made a terrific catch sliding into the wall in foul territory. He appeared to injure his leg but is staying in the game pic.twitter.com/OwODPYAfL8

“I was really worried,” Soto said. “I went straight into the concrete, and when I threw the ball, I just felt a lot of pain in my kneecap. Definitely, with time, [the pain] started going down and feeling better. Definitely, it was a little scary right there.”

Soto has shined in his debut season for the Yankees, tallying a career-high 40 home runs along with 103 RBI and a .286 batting average. New York is relying heavily on Soto to help it snap a 15-year World Series drought, so a serious injury at this point in the season could be costly.

Manager Aaron Boone is confident Soto won’t have to miss time and Soto said him playing Friday’s series opener against the Oakland Athletics would depend on how he feels in the morning.

“I think him sliding the way he did served him well,” Boone said. “My biggest fear was that he twisted something. I think sliding like that probably preserved him a little bit. He banged his knee pretty good.”

The sliding catch was impressive, but hardly consequential. The Yankees have already earned a playoff berth and are now closing in on clinching the division. Soto being healthy for the postseason—and for his impending free agency—is more important than grabbing the foul ball, but his competitive nature took over in the moment.

“We’re trying to keep the game right there,” Soto said, per Hoch. “You mention free agency, this and that. When I go in those lines, I forget about everything. I literally just focus on the game, trying to win the game, to help the team do the best.”

While Soto’s competitive nature left the Yankees worried on Thursday, it’s that kind of mentality they want from Soto and the rest of their squad as the postseason nears.