Yankees cut Soto, but then use him as a replacement to beat the A's

OAKLAND, Calif. — Juan Soto went to manager Aaron Boone in the middle of the game and told him that his bruised left knee, which kept him from pitching, felt good enough for the batter to give the New York Yankees a run at bat at the crucial moment.

This happened in the 10th inning and Soto delivered an RBI double that helped the Yankees beat the Oakland Athletics 4-2 on Friday night.

“It was great – showman-like,” said starter Gerrit Cole. “He loves the moment. He loves it.”

Soto had been ruled out of the starting lineup because his knee was sore and swollen, a day after he injured it in Seattle when he slid into a concrete wall while catching a ball.

After X-rays were taken early Friday that showed he did not have a serious injury, Soto was treated and spent some time in the batting cage before the game doing squats to make sure his knee was good enough to play.

“It responded pretty well,” he said. “So I was fine the whole game. It didn't hurt or anything after all the work we put in. That's when I knew I was going to have a good chance to be an option.”

His moment came in the 10th inning. Boone didn't want to use Soto to start the inning with the automatic runner on second base, figuring the A's would just let him walk in that situation.

But after Anthony Rizzo opened the inning with a single and put runners on the corners, Boone didn't hesitate.

“After we scored the first and third goals, I wanted to start my attempt right there,” he said.

A passed ball from Shea Langeliers made it possible for the game to end, and Soto hit an RBI double into the outfield to give the Yankees a 3-1 lead.

It was a happy ending to a day that had begun with some worries that only subsided after an X-ray examination that Soto deemed harmless.

“It's always scary,” Soto said. “It's always part of it. We were definitely hoping for the best. But anything can happen. When I saw that the result was negative, it was really a relief.”

Soto injured his leg on Thursday in Seattle when he slid into the short wall on the right sideline during a spectacular catch in the foul zone. He stayed in the game but had swelling on Friday.

Boone said before the game he wasn't “overly concerned” that the injury would linger into the postseason. The Yankees clinched a playoff spot on Wednesday night and are four games ahead of Baltimore in the AL East with eight games remaining.

Soto said he doesn't want to sit out while the division is still on the line, and said he might be able to compete Saturday if his knee feels good in the morning.

Soto has a .288 batting average with 40 home runs and 104 RBIs in his first season with the Yankees. Soto is second in the major leagues with 125 walks, 285 on-base times and a .419 on-base percentage, trailing only teammate Aaron Judge in all three categories. Soto is third in the major leagues with 120 runs scored.

Soto missed three games in June due to inflammation of his left forearm.