BREAKING: Juan Soto shares update on how his forearm is feeling
Juan Soto may not be completely recovered just yet, but he and his forearm are in better shape than they were a week ago.
After missing last weekend’s series against the Dodgers due to left forearm soreness, Soto started his sixth consecutive game Saturday night in the Yankees’ 8-4 loss to the Red Sox.
Five of those games have been on the field, and Soto is delighted with how his arm has responded.
“It’s been pretty good,” Soto explained. “I’ve been making a couple throws, like today, and they were fairly good. It has been reacting quite well. When I wake up in the morning, it’s much more relaxed. We don’t need to do much work on it. We’re still working, but we’re getting closer to 100%.
Soto, who was playing left field at Fenway Park with Alex Verdugo in the more wide right field, made a poor throw to second base in the first inning on Saturday.
But, before the inning ended, he fired a much more powerful throw home.
Earlier this week, manager Aaron Boone mentioned that Giancarlo Stanton could play a game in left field at Fenway to give Soto a DH day.
But by Saturday afternoon, it sounded less likely, which was a good indication given Soto’s physical condition.
Meanwhile, at the plate, Soto has remained true to himself.
He homered and drew two walks Saturday, reaching base multiple times for a career-high 11th straight game.
Tommy Kahnle has rejoined the Yankees bullpen, but his velocity has not.
After missing nearly two months of the season due to a shoulder ailment, Kahnle’s fastball velocity has been sluggish to return, averaging 93.7 mph compared to 95.3 mph last season.
Kahnle’s command was again lacking on Friday night, as he walked two in the sixth inning of an 8-1 victory over the Red Sox.
“I think we’ve seen more velocity at times early on,” Boone stated. “The previous several haven’t been as much, and certainly the consistency of that velocity. It is something we are still working on. Hopefully, things improve a little bit.
“But he can still pitch at this (velocity). For him, it’s all about the last couple, getting a little better at strike throwing and commanding.
If he accomplishes that, regardless of whether he receives a significant increase in velocity, he should be able to go out there and be quite successful.”
Anthony Rizzo went 0 for 2 on Saturday but earned two walks, taking tiny strides toward looking more like himself.
He had two singles and a walk in Friday’s series opener, marking his first multi-hit game of the month.
“He’s moving the needle,” Boone explained. “It’s definitely something to build on, but a nice few days for him.”
Dan Hurley and the UConn men’s basketball team were recognized before to the game, with Alex Karaban throwing out the ceremonial first pitch.
