When New York Mets slugger Juan Soto came to the plate in the third inning of the Mets' May 18 game against the Yankees, ESPN broadcaster Karl Ravech turned hea

The top of the Mets' lineup, which is often the best driver of the team's success, struggled mightily on this night, a 3-1 loss to the Red Sox.

This Mets lineup is, without question, engineered around its top three hitters. Francisco Lindor, Juan Soto and Pete Alonso all have histories of terrorizing the league. At various points this season,

Soto, who spurned the Yankees for the Mets on a $765 million deal in the offseason, was the subject of a lot of reporting over the past few days, including NJ Advance Media’s Bob Klapisch, who said that Mets officials were “concerned about Soto’s lack of enthusiasm for his new team.”

With Alex Cora away from the Red Sox on Monday to attend his daughter's college graduation, it was up to fill-in skipper Ramon Vazquez to lead the team from the bench.

For more than six decades, the Mets have been one of the main attractions of this patch of Queens, calling the north side of Flushing Meadows-Corona Park at Willets Point their home. Citi Field opened in 2009 at this site, which continues to change along with the times.

Juan Soto's return to Yankee Stadium was tougher than anticipated, and now New York Mets executives are questioning how much he wants to play for them.