“He’d Rather…”: as Juan Soto’s Injury Lingers, Top Insider Wonders About Its Potential “Implications” on the Yankees Star’s Free Agency

The New York Yankees are already feeling the effects of Juan Soto’s injury. From an 8-game winning streak to back-to-back losses against the Los Angeles Dodgers, things have been shaky in the Bronx Clubhouse. But while the “implications” of his injury are still unknown (the length of Soto’s absence still isn’t clear), one could guess that they could prove to be particularly major for the Pinstripes. But what about Soto? Can this injury affect his free agency?

Despite a relatively long career (at just the age of 25), Soto’s injury record isn’t all that serious. Though the star has seen multiple body parts feel the hurt, no injuries have been big enough for him to miss extended games. However, one can’t deny that getting injured right before entering free agency can have some effects. Yes, it didn’t have those effects for Shohei Ohtani but then the two-way phenom’s unreal power more than covered up for his on-field deficiencies this season. 

As a result, on The Foul Territory Show, famous insider Ken Rosenthal wondered about the thoughts inside Soto’s head. “Maybe he just thought it was nothing and it would go away. Maybe he’s had this kind of thing before and it went away,” Rosenthal said about Soto’s left arm issues. Later he shared that there could be implications for the Yankees and Soto’s future.

“I don’t know that it would affect his free agency too much because he’s going to sign a long deal,” Rosenthal said. “But at the same time, he’d rather go into free agency with a monster season than one in which he is dealing with an elbow issue or surgery.”  That’s a sensible thing to ponder on. Though at 25, Soto is extremely young if his injury proves to be serious, it could create some issues.

The fact that the New York Yankees skipper still isn’t completely sure about Juan Soto’s absence is a worrying sign. Is an Injury List appearance on cards for the superstar?

Juan Soto could miss a “couple” of days says Yankees skipper 

According to Max Goodman, Aaron Boone indicated that Juan Soto’s return is still a little far away. “It’s probably going to be at least a couple days,” said Boone. The New York Yankees skipper also revealed how it was “killing” Soto to not be playing. Especially because he’s one of the players that plays almost every day. 

Later during his pregame conference, reporters asked Boone about Soto’s chances of joining the IL. To this, the skipper said that it is “a possibility” but he doesn’t expect it. However, the fact that it could be a possibility might be a worrying sign. Elbow/Arm issues can’t ever be taken lightly. Could Soto become a DH for the foreseeable future (that could be the best-case scenario if the injury is serious) or are there other possibilities too? Whatever the case, the Yankees surely miss their Dominican superstar.