TORONTO — Juan Soto‘s impressive slide at home plate in the fourth inning on Friday night marked the first highlight in the Yankees’ 16-run explosion. Soto maneuvered around catcher Danny Jansen to touch home plate with his left hand, stretching as far as possible before tumbling into foul territory.
This play gave the Yankees their first run of the game but also resulted in a new injury concern for Soto. He was scratched from the Yankees’ starting lineup on Saturday due to a bruise on his right hand from that slide, as announced by the team just before the first pitch at Rogers Centre.
Soto is scheduled for imaging in Toronto on Saturday.
Utility man Oswaldo Cabrera will replace Soto in the starting lineup, playing right field. First baseman Ben Rice has been moved up to the No. 2 spot in the batting order, the highest he’s hit since being called up from Triple-A earlier this month.
Despite homering in his next at-bat after the slide on Friday night and staying in the game until the final out, Soto seemed to favor his right hand following the slide. He landed hard on his right side.
While the Yankees didn’t officially announce Soto’s absence until just before the game, Cabrera was seen taking fly balls in the outfield during the Yankees’ pregame workout. Although he often practices at different positions, this could have been an early indication that Soto was ruled out much earlier in the day.
Earlier this month, Soto missed three games due to discomfort in his left elbow. There were significant concerns about a serious injury, but he quickly returned to play after being diagnosed with inflammation.
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