Juan Soto makes last-minute addition to Yankees lineup vs. Blue Jays

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New York Yankees outfielder Juan Soto was a late addition to Sunday’s lineup for the series finale against the Toronto Blue Jays, having sat out the previous day’s loss due to a bruised right hand.

This contradicts earlier reports from CBS, and other outlets, which had indicated he would miss the game.

The three-time All-Star and 2020 NL batting champion singled against Toronto right-hander Kevin Gausman in his first at-bat and scored on Aaron Judge’s 31st home run of the season.

Juan Soto was injured Friday night when he slid into home plate during the fourth inning of a 16-5 win. He rolled over after touching home plate with his left hand, causing his right hand to slam into the dirt.

What happened

Aaron Judge had been expected to play right field, with Trent Grisham in center, but New York Yankees added Juan Soto to the lineup minutes before the first pitch. Soto started in right field while Judge served as the designated hitter.

Before making his decision, Yankees manager Aaron Boone noted that Juan Soto was feeling better.

“Pretty significant improvement from where he was yesterday with the treatment he was able to get,” Boone said.

Juan Soto entered the game batting .302 with 20 home runs and 60 RBIs. He mentioned experiencing pain during batting practice on Saturday, which forced him to alter his swing.

“I don’t want him compromising anything or changing his swing,” Boone said. “If there’s any of that, we’ll wait.”

X-rays taken on Saturday did not show a fracture in Soto’s hand. However, he may undergo an MRI or CT scan on his bruised right hand when the team returns to New York on Monday, according to Bryan Hoch of MLB.com.

Juan Soto mentioned that his hand felt better than it did on Saturday when he was scratched from the lineup due to pain and weakness while swinging. He plans to test his swing again before Sunday’s game, indicating that the tests on Monday might be precautionary.

Up next

After a day off on Monday, the Yankees will begin a three-game series against the Reds.

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