Juan Soto is set to return as the Mets look to stop their skid and get their offense going

NEW YORK (AP) — Juan Soto is expected to come off the injured list Wednesday for the struggling New York Mets, who entered Tuesday having lost 11 straight games — their longest skid since 2004.

Manager Carlos Mendoza said Soto, who participated in baseball activities before Tuesday’s series opener against the Minnesota Twins, will alternate between designated hitter and left field in his first two games.

“We’re not going to play him back-to-back 18 innings, at least on the field,” Mendoza said. “He’s going to need days off as well. But hopefully (Wednesday) is the beginning of it with him in the lineup and then we’ll go from there.”

Soto, in the second year of a 15-year, $765 million deal, hit .355 with one homer and five RBIs in eight games before suffering a right calf strain while going from first to third on a hit by Bo Bichette against the San Francisco Giants on April 3.

The IL stint was the first for Soto since 2021, when a strained left shoulder sidelined him from April 20 through May 3.

The Mets won their first three games without Soto. But they have been outscored 62-19 while batting .200 during the losing streak.

New York, which last lost 11 in a row from Aug. 28-Sept, 8, 2004, has been blanked three times during the skid and was held to two runs or fewer six other times.

The Mets’ only players batting better than .250 with more than 50 plate appearances are Francisco Alvarez and Luis Robert Jr. Veterans Francisco Lindor, Marcus Semien and Bichette are hitting a combined .218 with 58 strikeouts in 257 at-bats.

“It definitely helps, but we cannot put all the pressure on one player,” Mendoza said of Soto’s return. “We’ve got a lot of players in there that, unfortunately, they’re going through it for quite a bit now.”

The Mets’ rotation is also expected to get a boost Thursday, when Christian Scott will be recalled from Triple-A Syracuse to start against the Twins. Scott is 0-2 with a 5.27 ERA but has struck out 17 batters and walked two over 13 2/3 innings in his first action since undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2024.

“We knew it was just going to be a matter of time (before) he was going to be helping us here with the big league club,” Mendoza said. “And here we are, giving him that opportunity. He earned it and we’re excited about that.”

Scott, who was 0-3 with a 4.56 ERA in his first nine big league starts in 2024, will pitch in the rotation spot previously occupied by Kodai Senga, who will be pushed back to Saturday. Senga has a 20.65 ERA in his last two starts.

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David Peterson, an All-Star last year, and Sean Manaea will remain in the bullpen. Nolan McLean, Tuesday’s starter, is scheduled to pitch on his normal four days’ rest against the Colorado Rockies on Sunday.

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This story has been corrected. A previous version reported erroneously that Soto had a left quad strain.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb