NEW York Yankees star Juan Soto’s removal from Thursday night’s game has left fans spiraling over injury fears.
The Yankees improved to a season-best 45-19 with Thursday night’s win over the Minnesota Twins.
The game was interrupted by a 56-minute rain delay, after which Soto was removed from the lineup.
He was due to lead off the bottom of the sixth inning.
Instead, his spot in the lineup was taken by outfielder Alex Verdugo.
In the outfield, slugger Aaron Judge moved to Soto’s position in right and Verdugo took over in left.
Soto, acquired by the Yankees in December 2023, walked twice in three plate appearances prior to his exit.
There did not appear to be an on-field incident to prompt his departure, though he did make two throws to second base in the fifth inning.
An announcement was made via the Yankees’ account on X, formerly Twitter, citing left forearm discomfort as the reason for Soto’s early departure.
Speaking to reporters after the game, Soto said he’s been feeling the discomfort for almost two weeks but “grinding through it.”
Soto said he hasn’t been feeling discomfort when throwing or hitting.
But he shared plans to have imaging done on Friday.
Many Yankees fans panicked over what this could mean for a team that has had a stellar start to the 2024 season.
“I am crying myself to sleep,” one fan responded.
“My heart just dropped,” another wrote.
“Dear god plz be ok,” someone else said.
“That’s no good. No good at all,” another chimed in.
Soto, who has started all 64 games for the Yankees this season, has helped lead a team that secured its eighth-straight win on Thursday.
He’s batting .318 with 17 homers and 53 RBIs this season.
Along with Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton, Soto’s power at the plate has propelled the Yankees to the best record in the American League.
And that’s without their star pitcher.
I am crying myself to sleep.
Yankees fan
The team is hoping to see the return of reigning American League Cy Young Award winner Gerrit Cole later this month.
Cole, 33, was diagnosed with nerve inflammation and edema in early March and has been shut down since.
In his first rehab outing on Tuesday night, Cole threw 45 pitches and was feeling good afterward.
“It was a good day yesterday, so very encouraged,” he told ESPN.