Juan Soto returns from injury, says no pressure amid Mets' slide - ESPN

NEW YORK — Juan Soto, as expected, was activated from the injured list Wednesday before the Mets took the field against the Minnesota Twins looking to snap their 12-game losing streak.

Soto, who has been sidelined since suffering a right calf strain on April 3, will start at designated hitter in his return and is scheduled to play left field Thursday. He did not go on a rehab assignment, instead preparing with drill work with team trainers in controlled settings.

Soto also said he didn't maintain contact with his teammates, whether it was providing encouragement or simply gauging morale, during their losing skid.

«No, not at all,» Soto said bluntly. «They've been on the road most of the time, so I haven't talked to them.»

Without him involved, the Mets became the worst offense in baseball. Since April 8, when the losing streak began, they have scored two or fewer runs nine times and were shut out three times.

After an 0-6 road trip against the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs, the Mets returned to New York to begin a nine-game homestand Tuesday and squandered a 3-0 lead in a 5-3 loss to the Twins, including a ninth inning in which closer Devin Williams surrendered two runs without retiring a batter. The 12-game losing streak is the franchise's longest since 2002.

«There's a lot of noise, especially here in New York,» Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. «But the one thing in life, you go through adversity.»

Soto, 27, started the season 11-for-31 (.355) with a .928 OPS, seemingly picking up where he left off last season when he belted 43 home runs with 38 steals, when he injured his calf running first to third against the San Francisco Giants in the Mets' eighth game of the season.

Mendoza and Soto insisted the team's