Soto fitting in just fine: 'It feels like he's been here a while'

JUPITER, Fla. -- Spring Training is less than a month old, yet for the Mets, it feels like Juan Soto has been around for years.

The superstar is in his first season with the Mets, who signed him to a record-setting 15-year, $765 million contract in December. Soto arrived at camp on Feb. 16, but those three weeks have been more than enough time for him to feel like Port St. Lucie has been his home for far longer.

"I didn't think [the adjustment] was going to be this quick, to be honest with you,¡± manager Carlos Mendoza said of Soto, who is with his fourth team since 2022. ¡°I thought it was going to take a little bit longer, but he fit right in. As soon as the position players reported, within a couple of days you could see him laughing, making jokes, especially with some of the Latin players. That was really good to see.

"When you watch him in the weight room and you watch him in the cages, guys are asking him questions; how open he is to share his knowledge. Some of the things that he does in the batter's box or when he's preparing, just watching him go about it, he¡¯s very humble and very open.¡±

President of baseball operations David Stearns has been pleasantly surprised by Soto¡¯s sense of humor, one that trends in the opposite direction from the intense focus he displays between the lines.

"He likes to have fun; he's a funny guy,¡± Stearns said. ¡°I think when you watch him across the field, he takes his craft so seriously, and that's also what came across in our meetings with him, is how seriously he takes his craft, how much he thinks about hitting. Seeing him interact with his teammates on a daily basis, interact with the staff on a daily basis, it's business when it's in the cage, and it's business when it's [on the field], and then when it's [in the clubhouse], it's fun and it's humor, smiling. That's cool to see.¡±

Given the spotlight that has shined on Soto during his career -- and specifically during his free-agent sweepstakes -- it wouldn¡¯t have been surprising for him to take some time adapting to his new surroundings. That hasn¡¯t been the case.

"It feels like he's been here a while; it doesn¡¯t feel like his first three weeks," lefty David Peterson said. ¡°It's personality. He's tried to get to know all the guys and tried to do everything to get himself acclimated. He¡¯s been awesome to have around in the clubhouse.¡±

Soto¡¯s personality has made for a seamless transition, where despite his massive contract and star power, he¡¯s been able to fall in as just another one of the guys.

"He has great personality; very humble and he cares about people,¡± Mendoza said. ¡°I think you have to give credit to the guys in that locker room that made him feel that way, as well. He¡¯s making a big transition; everything that happened in the offseason with his contract, to see him just being the same guy, being relaxed, it seems like he's been here for quite a bit now.¡±

Nimmo still sidelined

Brandon Nimmo hasn¡¯t played since making his spring debut on Feb. 28, after which he experienced soreness in his right knee. An MRI taken earlier this week revealed no structural damage, so Nimmo has been taking live at-bats as he tries to work through the issue. When he tried to ramp up his running to 100% on Friday, he was only able to get to about 85%, according to Mendoza.

Nimmo received a gel injection in his knee later that day, shutting him down from baseball activities for 48-72 hours.

¡°We're still shooting for Opening Day,¡± Mendoza said. ¡°We feel like we have enough time here for him to get plenty of at-bats.¡±

Nimmo battled pain in his left foot associated with plantar fasciitis during the postseason, and while the injury lingered into the spring, it wasn¡¯t expected to keep him from playing. Now the opposite knee has become an issue, but the Mets are hoping the injection will help him move past the problem and have him ready for the season.

¡°Once we get closer to Opening Day, whether he¡¯s not running 100 percent, he's not getting at-bats or he's not doing any baseball activity, then we'll probably have to start having some of those conversations,¡± Mendoza said. ¡°That's not the case as we sit here.¡±