NEW YORK -- For once, the last-place Mets, ravaged by injuries this season, caught a break.
Manager Carlos Mendoza said X-rays on Juan Soto's right foot came back negative after the star exited Wednesday night's 3-2, 10-inning win over the Detroit Tigers after fouling a ball off the top of his right foot.
His status for Thursday's matinee against the Tigers is unclear.
'"We got good news there," Mendoza said. "He's day-to-day. See how he comes tomorrow, whether he's a player for us in the starting lineup and then we'll see."
Soto fouled the ball off his foot in the third inning against left-hander Framber Valdez and tried walking it off but went down to the ground in pain, prompting a visit from Mendoza and an athletic trainer. He stayed in the game and limped into the batter's box before striking out.
Soto, the Mets' designated hitter, hit again in the sixth inning and grounded out to the pitcher. But MJ Melendez pinch-hit for Soto in the seventh inning with runners on the corners and two outs.
Cameras caught Soto in the Mets' dugout in the 10th inning laughing with teammates. He did not speak to reporters after the game.
"I was concerned as soon as he got hit because he got hit pretty good there," Mendoza said. "We went out there and you could tell that he was in pain. And then just that second at-bat didn't look right. Then when the trainer came my way, I knew something was up."
Soto spent more than two weeks on the injured list earlier this season with a right calf strain. He has split time between left field and designated hitter since his return April 22, while also initially dealing with left forearm tightness.
He has cooled off in recent weeks, batting .146 with an 0.502 OPS in May, after a hot start. Overall, he is slashing .263/.357/.444 with four home runs in 27 games in the second year of his record-breaking 15-year, $765 million contract.
The Mets already have four starting position players on the injured list: shortstop Francisco Lindor (calf), first baseman Jorge Polanco (wrist/Achilles), center fielder Luis Robert Jr. (back) and catcher Francisco Alvarez (knee). The team does not have a timetable for any of the four players' returns.
Alvarez was the latest addition to the group Wednesday after suffering a tear in his right meniscus that will require surgery.
