Padres News: Juan Soto's Sore Leg Sidelines Him Again

Padres outfielder Juan Soto missed Friday's game with lingering soreness in his calf, and manager Bob Melvin says they're trying to be "careful" with him.

Padres outfielder Juan Soto was a late scratch from Monday's spring game against the Dodgers with a sore calf, and he got Tuesday off, too. Soto played in San Diego's games on Wednesday and Thursday, but he was back out of the lineup on Friday.

According to Friars manager Bob Melvin, Soto is still dealing with the soreness in his calf, although Melvin was careful about his words in describing it.

"He's still, he's got a little, the calf is a little bit sore right now. That's why he's not playing today. So we'll see how he is in the next couple days before that Monday date comes [when Soto leaves for the World Baseball Classic]."

Padres manager Bob Melvin said that Juan Soto's left calf is "a little bit sore right now" and that's why he's not playing in tonight's game. pic.twitter.com/XWjI2UBFJ7

— 97.3 The Fan (@973TheFanSD) March 3, 2023

Melvin was asked in a follow-up if he's still calling it precautionary, and he wasn't quite ready to downplay it that much.

"You know, he's feeling it a little bit, so, you know, he felt it once, then he felt it again, so we're just trying to be as careful as we can with him. It certainly is not affecting his swing."

Melvin's right about Soto's swing. In four spring games, the left-handed superstar is batting .720 with a 2.023 OPS. (That's 8-for-11 with three doubles, a homer, and a walk.)

That greatness kind of underscores the importance of resting Soto when he's hurting. Assuming this doesn't keep him out of the WBC, Soto will be out of Melvin's control for a couple weeks after this weekend, so doing everything he can to keep the young star healthy right now is at the top of Melvin's mind.