NEW YORK -- The Mets' woeful season might have taken another turn for the worse Tuesday night when Juan Soto exited after four innings against the Chicago Cubs.
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 field in the third -- and was seen wearing a heating pad in the dugout while in the game.
The Mets later said he exited with left-side back tightness. They went on to lose the game, 9-6.
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 also missed 15 games with a calf strain suffered in April.
The potential setback comes just as the last-place Mets are preparing to activate Francisco Lindor, the franchise's other cornerstone, from the injured list this week. Lindor has been out since sustaining a calf strain in Soto's return from the IL on April 22. Lindor could be reinstated as early as Wednesday.
Soto and Lindor have played together in just nine of the Mets' 77 games this season.