NEW YORK -- The Mets' woeful season took another turn for the worse Tuesday night when Juan Soto exited after four innings against the Chicago Cubs with back discomfort.
Soto appeared to wince when making contact in his two at-bats -- on a fly out to left field in the first inning and a lineout to center in the third -- and was seen wearing a heating pad in the dugout while in the game.
The Mets later announced he exited with left-side back tightness. They went on to lose the game 9-6. Afterward, manager Carlos Mendoza described Soto's status as day-to-day. Mendoza said he was unsure whether Soto will undergo tests Wednesday. Soto was unavailable to reporters postgame.
"He got treatment during the game, but he got to a point there where you could tell something was off," Mendoza said. "He was making some faces there and obviously I checked with him, and he got to a point where it was bothering him to throw and then to just get his 'A' swing on it.
"So at that point I thought it was just best to get him out of the game and have the trainers look at him. And again, as of right now, he's day-to-day. We'll see where we are [Wednesday]."
Soto, 27, has been one of the best hitters in the majors this season, batting .299 with 17 home runs and a .965 OPS in 61 games. He missed 15 games in April with a calf strain. The Mets went 3-12 during that stretch, losing the 12 games in a row to fall to 7-16 on the season.
The latest potential setback comes just as the last-place Mets are preparing to activate Francisco Lindor, the franchise's other cornerstone, from the injured list as early as Wednesday when the team is scheduled to play a doubleheader against the Cubs.
Lindor has been out since suffering a calf strain in Soto's return from the IL on April 22. The five-time All-Star played in his third rehab game Tuesday at Triple-A Syracuse, going 2-for-5 with two runs scored while playing eight innings at shortstop.
Mendoza said team officials will discuss the next step with Lindor and the athletic training staff, with activation Wednesday -- whether before the first game or between the two games -- possible.