Juan Soto hits his stride with Padres

Juan Soto’s off day just happened to be in the city where he became a legend. For four-plus seasons, Soto was a prince in the District — the town that became attached to the young Dominican star who helped deliver the Nationals’ first-ever World Series title. But when Soto returned Monday, he didn’t use his downtime to visit old haunts, see the sights or catch up with former teammates. 

Rather, Soto joined his San Diego Padres teammates for dinner. They then watched that night’s NBA playoff game as a group. 

“We had a great time as a team,” Soto said. 

Soto choosing to bond with his team on the road was another simple reminder that the 24-year-old now plays for the Padres — something that would only be further reinforced Tuesday evening when he smashed a 441-foot home run deep into center field in San Diego’s 7-4 win over Washington. In his latest return to Nationals Park — he played there with the Padres last season less than two weeks after being traded — Soto began the three-game series by going 3-for-4 with a walk and a stolen base. 

Ten months after the trade, Soto still looks different — weird, even — wearing yellow and brown. But recently, Soto has at least started to resemble the same Juan Soto whose performance with the Nationals often drew Ted Williams comparisons. 

After Tuesday, Soto is now hitting .260 with a .408 on-base percentage, .497 slugging percentage and a .905 OPS (on-base plus slugging) — numbers that top the .242/.401/.485/.853 line he slugged in his final season with the Nationals. And while Soto’s final season in Washington was considered to be a down year by his standards, Soto’s last 26 games look a lot like his peak years with his former team: He’s hit a staggering .326/.453/.590 with a 1.043 OPS over that span. 

So, Soto may be back in more ways than one. 

But returning to his old ballpark doesn’t hurt, either.

“Can you tell?” Soto said with a smile when asked if he enjoyed hitting at Nationals Park.

Soto’s resurgence comes as a relief to the Padres, who traded a prospect-heavy package that has become the core of the Nationals’ rebuild. Last year, Soto didn’t have the statistical impact expected of a superstar — despite the Padres reaching the NLCS and coming a game away from reaching the World Series. After another slow start in 2023, Soto’s struggles became even more heightened. Many wondered what was wrong.

Soto said Tuesday that he has focused a lot on improving the mechanics of his swing — though he was reluctant to give details.

Analysts noted that during Soto’s rough patch, he stopped hitting as frequently to the opposite side of the field — which had been one of his best attributes as a hitter. Soto was still getting on base by drawing walks, though he was striking out at a higher rate than in previous years. 

Perhaps some of the struggles can be attributed to Soto’s change in environment. At the time he was traded, Soto’s ending with the Nationals was complicated. He has said he was upset after details of the team’s 15-year, $440 million offer leaked to the public. Then he was shipped out of town by the only team he had known in the majors.

He recalled Tuesday being “pretty emotional” when he returned to Nationals Park as a visitor with the Padres last August. 

This time around, Soto seemed to embrace the positives of playing the Nationals. He playfully teased former teammates by predicting he was going to hit a home run — and then actually did so. And just before Soto stepped into the batter’s box for the first time that evening, he soaked in cheers from the crowd and took off his helmet to tip it to them.

Then, for good measure, Soto got to the plate and ripped a single to center on the first pitch of the game. 

“He’s a good player, right?” Nationals manager Dave Martinez said.

Asked if he could envision himself returning to the Nationals in free agency when his contract is up in 2025, Soto gave a standard response by saying right now, he only thinks about playing for the Padres. 

But there are plenty of reasons to focus on the now. Besides getting out of his personal slump, Soto has to help the Padres overcome their unexpectedly slow start to the season. San Diego entered Wednesday’s game 22-26 — a record that’s hard to imagine given all the star power (Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr.) on the Padres. 

Soto, of course, has tried to draw on his experience with the 2019 Nationals — who started 19-31 and … well, you know the rest. Recalling that championship-winning season, Soto recalled how much players enjoyed coming to the ballpark every day, how they didn’t let their record affect them and played together as a team.

So then, has Soto told his teammates to go 1-0 every day?

“No, not yet,” Soto said with a laugh.