Washington Nationals’ GM Mike Rizzo explained the thinking behind calling Juan Soto up from Double-A to the majors when the decision was made back in mid-May, following a season-ending injury to infielder/outfielder Howie Kendrick.
Soto, 19, had struggled through an injury-impacted campaign in 2017, but picked up where he left off when healthy in previous seasons, posting a .362/.462/.757 line with 10 doubles, 14 home runs, 29 walks, and 28 Ks in 39 games and 182 plate appearances at Low-A, High-A, and Double-A before the outfielder got the call.
Soto was asked, before making his major league debut, if he expected to be called up as early in the season as he was.