The San Diego Padres lineup is full of stars from top to bottom such as Manny Machado, Juan Soto, Xander Bogaerts, Jake Cronenworth, and Fernando Tatis Jr.
However, one of those stars is off to a bit of a rough start.
Soto hasn’t been producing up to par to start the 2023 season.
The 24-year-old slugger has hit four home runs, but is struggling in terms of batting average, as he is hitting for just a .183 mark.
He also has an OPS of .757.
But the Padres aren’t panicking, and neither are those around the team.
Padres writer Kevin Acee appeared on MLB Network and talked with Brian Kenny about Soto’s struggles, while also expressing optimism that he will ultimately find his way out of them.
“He’s never not been great at the plate.”@sdutKevinAcee and Brian Kenny discuss Juan Soto’s slow start in San Diego and why they expect him to get going. #MLBNow pic.twitter.com/Z3QxlOajAa
— MLB Now (@MLBNow) April 21, 2023
Acee made a bold statement by saying that he has never seen a player he has expected to produce struggle this badly, as he stated that when Soto comes to the plate, he expects to see the slugger hit a home run.
Soto is tied for the team lead in home runs and has an on-base percentage of .360.
But Acee notes that he has seen Soto swing at some bad pitches that he otherwise wouldn’t swing at, even during his struggles last season upon his arrival in San Diego.
Acee then reiterated that he expects Soto to hit a home run every time he comes to the plate, expressing optimism that the slugger will figure things out.
Kenny closed out the interview by saying that the 24-year-old and former World Series champion has never not been great at the plate.
NEXT:
Xander Bogaerts Is Posting Astounding Numbers In San Diego
