Yankees’ Juan Soto gets verdict on MRI

NEW YORK — The Yankees can exhale.

An MRI on Juan Soto’s sore left forearm showed only inflammation.

”Good news,” manager Aaron Boone said Friday before the Yankees-Dodgers’ series opener at Yankee Stadium. “Just some information in there. So, he’ll start some medicine and right now treat him as day to day.”

Soto is not in the lineup, but the Yankees aren’t planning on putting him on the 15-day injured list and he might be able to pitch-hit by Friday night and/or start sometime this weekend.

“I think it’s possible,” Boone said. “We’ll see how he responds (to medicine).”

For Friday’s game, Aaron Judge was the starter in right field with Trent Grisham in center field and Alex Verdugo in left field.

This could have been so much worse.

Boone said Soto’s MRI also checked out his forearm. There was no ligament damage. He wasn’t even given a cortisone shot, just medicine.

A tear or ligament damage would have been much worse, possibly season-ending … similar to what Yankees No. 1 prospect Jasson Dominguez went through last September when he played eight games after his first big-league call-up and then was scratched with elbow discomfort that led to Tommy John surgery.

“It’s different than like what Jasson dealt with last year,” Boone said of Soto. “I remember that day game where he couldn’t swing and get loose in the cage.”

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RESTORING THE GLORY

Soto, who wasn’t available for comment before Friday’s game. has been getting treatment for discomfort in his throwing forearm for the last week or so.

His issue, however, was a team secret until Thursday night when the three-time All-Star was pulled from the game when it restarted following a 56-minute rain delay before the top of the sixth inning.

After Thursday’s game, Soto said, “It’s been like a week-and-a-half or two (with forearm discomfort). I’ve just been grinding through it.

“It’s not any specific activity. It’s kind of funny that it doesn’t hurt me whenever I throw or hit. It’s more like soreness that I feel with any kind of move that I make with my arm. But definitely it doesn’t stop me from doing anything baseball-wise in the field.”

In his walk year to free agency, Soto is among the American League leaders in hitting (.318, 4th), homers (17, 5th), RBI (53, 4th), runs (49, 2nd), walks (46, 3rd), on-base percentage (.424, 1st), slugging (.603, 3rd) and OPS (1.027, 2nd).

Soto and the Yankees have the American League’s best record and will take an eight-game winning streak into the series opener against the Dodgers.

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Randy Miller may be reached at rmiller@njadvancemedia.com.