SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 20: Juan Soto #22 of the San Diego Padres tosses his bat after drawing a walk during the fifth inning of a game against the St. Louis Cardinals at PETCO Park on September 20, 2022 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
All you need to know about whether San Diego Padres star player Juan Soto changed his position for next season.
Bob Melvin, the manager of the Padres, was coy regarding Juan Soto’s position in the outfield when he was asked about it during FanFest the week before. He mentioned the possibility that Fernando Tatis Jr. might play in the outfield, but when pressed for more information, he stated that he wouldn’t be able to decide anything definitively until he had a conversation with everyone, including Tatis and Soto.
It would appear that he has engaged in those discussions, as he disclosed to the media on Tuesday that Soto will serve as San Diego’s starting left fielder for the upcoming season. Melvin said, “I think left is what we’re gonna work on with him and try to keep him in one spot, so that was the conversation I had with him. … He’ll play anywhere… he would be open for anything, but I think it makes sense to try to keep him in one spot.”
Soto spent the first three seasons of his career in the major leagues playing almost completely in left field, but for the past two seasons, he has focused solely on playing right field. However, since the Padres prefer Tatis to play right field, it is rational for them to move Soto back to left field.
At the trade deadline the previous year, Soto was acquired by the San Diego Padres. He has one more year of arbitration eligibility after this one, and then he will be eligible for free agency after that. He will make $23 million this year. After having the worst offensive year of his career in 2022, when his OPS of.853 was the lowest of his career and his batting average of.242 was 59 points lower than his career-best coming into the season, he is trying to get back on track offensively in 2023.
Read More:
“Lost all credibility. Unbelievable. The league, media, and voters hate on Machado”: MLB Fans are furious to see Manny Machado miss out on being the finalist for the Golden Glove AwardFollow our dedicated page for MLB for instant news and updates.