Welcome to the American League, Juan Soto.
The New York Yankees concentrated their offseason improvements on one big move when they acquired three-time All-Star Soto from the San Diego Padres in December. The trade came with some degree of risk. Soto is a free agent at the end of this season, while the five players the Yankees gave up in the trade have a chance to contribute to the Padres for years.
Juan Soto #22 of the New York Yankees jogs to the dugout before the game against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park on March 30, 2024 in Houston, Texas. Soto was chosen the American League Player of the Week on Monday. LessTIM WARNER/GETTY IMAGES
So far, so good.
Soto was chosen as the first American League Player of the Week of the 2024 season on Monday. It’s the first AL Player of the Week award ever for Soto, who began his MLB career with the Washington Nationals from 2018-22. He was traded to the Padres at the 2022 deadline.
Playing in his first week with the Yankees, Soto collected his third career Player of the Week Award. He previously won the NL version of the award on August 17, 2020, as a member of the Nationals and last year on Sept. 18 as a member of the San Diego Padres.
The Dominican Republic native is the first member of the Yankees to be named AL Player of the Week since outfield teammate Aaron Judge won last year on Sept. 25.
It was quite a week for Soto. He hit .529 (9-for-17) with one home run, four RBI, one double, three walks, two runs scored and a .765 slugging percentage in his first four games as a member of the Yankees.
Soto also led the majors with nine hits, ranked second in batting average and on-base percentage (.600), and ranked third among AL hitters in total bases (13).
An outfield assist on Opening Day in Houston — Soto threw out Mauricio Dubón at home plate in the ninth inning last Thursday — got things started. Soto, 25, isn’t typically known as a defensive stalwart but will be counted on by the Yankees to man left field this season.
Soto has collected a hit and an RBI in each of his first four games of the year, marking his longest hitting streak to start a season in his career. He is the first member of the Yankees to record an RBI and a hit in each of his first four games of a season since Jorge Posada in 2003.
On the back of his ninth-inning go-ahead single on Sunday afternoon, Soto became the first Yankees player in the expansion era (since 1961) to record a go-ahead RBI in three of his first four games with the team.
