Juan Soto responds to hustle critics after blast off Green Monster results in single: ‘I think I’ve been hustling pretty hard’

These are not the questions Juan Soto wants to face from New York media.

On Sunday, the New York Mets slugger took heat for not sprinting on a potential ground-ball single that instead resulted in an out. Even worse — it came in an 8-2 loss to the New York Yankees.

The game was tied at 2-2 in the eighth inning when Soto recorded the first out of the top of the inning.

“Everything about it in slow-motion,” said ESPN’s Karl Ravech on the play-by-play call.

On Monday, Soto took even more heat for a high-profile lack of hustle. This time on the road against the Boston Red Sox.

With the Mets trailing, 3-1 in the top of sixth inning, Soto sent a blast deep to left field off of Red Sox reliever Justin Wilson. Soto thought he had a home run. But the Green Monster caught it and sent the ball bouncing back into the field of play.

The deep fly ball resulted in a single.

Another broadcast edit focuses on Soto the whole time. He clearly believed that he had a home run secured. He admired the ball out of the box and broke into a trot before realizing that no, the ball was not leaving Fenway Park.

By then, it was too late. Soto started to round first before turning back for a single that could have certainly gone for extra bases.

Soto did his best to make up for it. He eventually stole second base. But the Red Sox held on for a 3-1 win.

After the game, Soto was asked by a reporter if he needs to be aware being “slow getting out of the box.” Soto doesn’t think there’s an issue.

“No,” Soto responded. “I think I’ve been hustling pretty hard. If you see it today, you could tell.”

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza was also asked about Soto’s hustle — or lack thereof. He declined to lay into his superstar outfielder who signed with the Mets in December to a 15-year, $765 million contract that’s the richest known deal in the history of sports.

Mendoza told reporters “we’ll discuss that.”

“We’ll talk to him about it,” Mendoza said. “Tonight, obviously, someone gets a hold of one and knows when he gets it, he’s Juan, you know. He thought he had it. With the wind and all that.

“And in this ballpark or anywhere, but in particular this one with that wall right there, you’ve got to get out of the box. We’ll discuss that.”

Soto’s 47 games into his Mets tenure. He’s not off to a great start when compared to his lofty standards. Prior to Monday, Soto had a slash line of .246/.379/.443, numbers all well below his career line of .283/.419/.528.

He went 1 for 4 against the Red Sox with no counting stats outside of his stolen base and is now up to eight home runs and 20 RBI for the season. It’s not the production the Mets were counting on.

The long run will obviously tell the story, and Soto’s track record all but ensures that he’ll deliver over the long run. And the Mets are off to a strong start at 29-19, a half-game behind the first-place Phillies in the NL East.

Soto will be fine. But his efforts against the Red Sox and Yankees are not the best way to endear himself to his new legion of Mets fans.