Yankees star right fielder Juan Soto is dealing with inflammation in his left forearm after undergoing an MRI exam, the New York Post reported on Friday.
Soto was not in the starting lineup for New York in its series opener versus the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers. Aaron Judge was listed to play in right field, while Trent Grisham will man center field and bat eighth in the lineup.
Soto was pulled following a 56-minute rain delay in between the fifth and sixth innings of Thursday’s game with the Yankees holding an 8-5 lead over the Minnesota Twins. Judge slid over from left field and Alex Verdugo entered the game and played left field.
“It’s not any specific activity,” Soto said following Thursday’s game. “It’s kind of funny that it doesn’t hurt me whenever I throw or hit. It’s more like soreness that I feel with any kind of move that I make with my arm. But definitely it doesn’t stop me from doing anything baseball-wise in the field.”
Soto, 25, went 0-for-1 and drew a pair of walks off Minnesota starter Pablo Lopez. He is hitting .318, which led the American League going into Friday’s games, with 17 homers and 53 RBIs in his first season for the Yankees after being acquired in December from the San Diego Padres.
A three-time All-Star, Soto has started every game this season and was lifted early in four previous games when the Yankees held big leads.
–Field Level Media