The most anticipated Subway Series in recent memory has less to do with a pair of first-place crosstown rivals and more to do with Juan Soto’s return to the Bronx. For the first time as a member of the Mets, the superstar slugger will face his former club on Friday night at Yankee Stadium, in a matchup that should deliver ample drama to both fan bases.
While there’s no reason to doubt Soto’s ability to ignore the outside noise and also produce with heightened expectations this weekend, only time will tell how he’ll be received by the sold-out crowds. When he steps into the batter’s box and travels out to right field, there’ll be far more jeers than cheers. It’s the new reality.
The Mets already have a win over the Yankees in 2025, if counting the historic free-agent sweepstakes for Soto. But regardless of what unfolds in the three-game set, Yankees manager Aaron Boone only hopes the attention directed toward his former slugger doesn’t cross any lines.
“It’ll be interesting. I’m sure there’ll be some creativity in there,” Boone said on Friday afternoon. “The biggest thing is, I just want everyone to come have a good time and be safe and not take things too far… This year is unique, obviously because of all the news and storylines around Juan the last couple years. So you understand that ratchets up the intensity of it. Both teams playing well, in first place. Mendy is over there now… It always feels like a big deal. There’s been some really good series with them…”
This iteration of the Subway Series doesn’t lack storylines. Aaron Judge and Pete Alonso currently rank atop the AL and NL leaderboards in RBI. Francisco Lindor recently became the first shortstop to cross the 50-WAR threshold since Derek Jeter. Max Fried and Kodai Senga have resembled staff aces with league-leading ERAs nearing 1.00. The Big Apple stars are shining.
But the main attraction is undoubtedly Soto, who’s poised to have a breakout series against old teammates and justify his status as baseball’s highest-paid player. After a stellar 2024 season in pinstripes, he’s now a lifetime .283 hitter at Yankee Stadium who’s also posted 24 home runs and 18 doubles (83 games).
The missing piece to a bullpen puzzle?
The Yankees finally welcomed back a valuable reliever to their bullpen on Friday, as right-hander Jonathan Loaisiga was taken off the injured list after a lengthy recovery from season-ending elbow surgery last spring.
Loaisiga, who re-signed with New York this past offseason on a one-year deal that includes a 2026 club option, has the potential to be a high-leverage option for a bullpen that began the 2025 campaign with some trust issues. The 30-year-old made six rehab appearances across two minor league levels, allowing just one run across 7.1 innings.
“I’m excited to get him back. He’s looked really, really good — really from February, when he was throwing bullpens and lives,” Boone said. “The ramp-up has been really good. Very in line with what a full spring would’ve looked like. I feel like he’s throwing the ball really well. We’ll be careful with him here, the first couple of weeks. Making sure we build him successfully. But really excited the way he’s throwing the ball and what he can mean to our pen.”
The hope is that Loaisiga rediscovers the dominance he flashed back in 2021, when he posted a 2.17 ERA with 69 strikeouts in 57 appearances (70.2 innings). Any success he achieves will be contingent upon his health; however, he was limited to just four innings in 2024 and 17 games in 2023 due to elbow and shoulder ailments.
Latest injury updates on Chisholm and Cabrera
Jazz Chisholm Jr. doesn’t believe he’ll spend much more time on the shelf with his high-grade oblique injury. The veteran infielder was seen fielding grounders on Friday afternoon and later told Greg Joyce of the New York Post that he could possibly return in 10 days.
When asked about Chisholm’s recovery timeline, Boone didn’t express the same level of optimism. But the team is pleased with his progress and considers his ramp-up efforts “encouraging.” Chisholm, who’s hitting a lowly .181 this season, last played on April 29.
As for utilityman Oswaldo Cabrera, who fractured his ankle on a slide at home plate against the Mariners earlier this week, he isn’t expected to make a late-season comeback, according to Boone. But an official ruling won’t be made until doctors further evaluate him in the coming days.
An end-of-week trade
The Yankees parted ways with a left-handed reliever on Friday, as they traded veteran Rob Zastryzny to the Brewers in exchange for cash considerations. The 33-year-old appeared in nine games for Milwaukee last season, posting a sharp 1.11 ERA across 7.1 innings of work, but didn’t make a single appearance for New York. He’s spent all of 2025 in the minors.
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