In his second trip to the plate after two games off with a left calf tweak, Juan Soto looked at how the Philadelphia Phillies’ defense was aligned, shifted to the right side on the Nationals’ 23-year-old slugger, and squared to bunt, sending one foul of third base, before he went on to single for Washington’s first hit with one out in the top of the fourth inning on Wednesday night in Citizens Bank Park.
Soto was back in the lineup as the DH, with manager Davey Martinez working him back into the mix cautiously, so seeing Soto try to get a bunt down early in his first game back wasn’t exactly what the fifth-year skipper wanted to see.