Soto (calf) delayed as Team D.R. meets in Miami
PEORIA, Ariz. — Manny Machado rolled into Padres camp briefly on Monday morning, stated hello to a couple teammates and coaches, then departed for a flight to affix the Dominican Republic staff in Miami forward of the World Baseball Classic.
Not becoming a member of Machado? Superstar teammate Juan Soto, who stayed behind in Peoria as he battles lingering tightness in his left calf. Soto stays optimistic he’ll have the ability to take part within the WBC, with the staff’s first recreation slated for Saturday in opposition to Venezuela (7 p.m. ET on FS1). But he has just a few hurdles to clear, and when the match begins, he may play a restricted function.
Soto was initially slated to affix Padres teammates Machado, Nelson Cruz and Luis García in heading to Miami on Monday. Instead, he went by means of some working drills and took batting follow.
“Right now, it feels good,” Soto stated. “It’s improving a lot; it feels pretty good. But they want to make sure I’m ready to go.”
Understandable. Soto is an immensely beneficial weapon in a Padres lineup that will likely be with out Fernando Tatis Jr. for the primary 20 video games of the season. The similar holds true for Soto’s place inside the Dominican Republic lineup. He’s an important piece on a staff that’s with out Vladimir Guerrero Jr. following his latest withdrawal on account of harm.
Even with out Guerrero, the Dominican Republic enters as one of many match’s clear favorites. The Padres, in the meantime, have an in with that federation. Cruz, their DH, can also be the overall supervisor of Team D.R., and Padres supervisor Bob Melvin has already spoken with Cruz about Soto.
“If anything pops up, he knows where to find me,” Melvin quipped.
Presently, all indicators level to Soto becoming a member of his D.R. teammates later this week, if his development continues. The harm clearly hasn’t affected his bat, as he is posted a 2.023 OPS in 4 Cactus League video games, with related outcomes on the Peoria Sports Complex backfields.
There’s a risk Soto could possibly be used as a delegated hitter, eradicating the burden of enjoying protection. Perhaps he performs solely a pair pool-play video games, as wanted.
Melvin famous that these discussions with the Dominican Republic are ongoing. But he, like Soto, stays optimistic about Soto’s participation.
“I’m still confident that he will [play in the Classic],” Melvin stated. “I know that he wants to, as well. But if this thing lingers a little bit, and he’s not confident running, we’ll see where it goes.”
