How long Mets’ Juan Soto will be out with calf strain and who takes his place

What was initially considered a “minor” calf strain for Mets star outfielder Juan Soto has resulted in a stint on the injured list. Soto was placed on the IL on Monday afternoon, the team announced. He officially has a right calf strain, an injury with a typical return-to-play timetable of two-to-three weeks, the Mets said.

Infielder Ronny Mauricio was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse to take Soto’s place on the active roster. Mets -1. 5 run line is listed at +145 on BetMGM for Tuesday’s game versus Arizona.

Our complete BetMGM Sportsbook review shows you how to register and get started. Soto hurt his calf while running from first to third on a Bo Bichette single in the first inning of Friday’s loss to the Giants in San Francisco. Since Soto didn’t play in the rest of that series — sitting out for both games over the weekend — the Mets were able to make Monday’s injury retroactive to Saturday.

While that would make Soto eligible for next week’s series against the Dodgers — kicking off a high-profile road trip to Los Angeles and Chicago — it doesn’t sound like Soto will return until later in April. With Soto out for the foreseeable future, the Mets will lean on their big-league outfield depth. Brett Baty will likely get more starts in the outfield alongside Luis Robert Jr.