Juan Soto returns to lineup in Yankees sigh of relief after injury scare

OAKLAND, Calif.— Among his many talents, Juan Soto has no off button.And apparently a sturdy kneecap.A day after sliding into the right-field wall in foul territory at T-Mobile Park to make an outstanding catch – with his left knee taking the brunt of the collision, slamming into the concrete, unpadded base of the wall – Soto was right back in the Yankees lineup on Friday as they began a series against the A’s at the Coliseum.The Yankees on Thursday believed — and hoped — they had avoided anything serious with Soto, who received about an hour’s-worth of treatment on his knee before speaking with reporters and was set to undergo X-rays to make sure he was OK.In hindsight, the Yankees gladly would have taken the ball dropping for a foul — trailing the Mariners 3-2 in the bottom of the seventh — rather than Soto putting his body at risk, especially at this point in the season.

But that is easier said than done for Soto, who also has plenty at stake less than two months away from hitting free agency.“I feel like it’s just adrenaline of the game,” Soto said Thursday.“We’re trying to keep the game right there on line and go out there and try our best.

You mentioned free agency, this and that – when I go in those lines, I forget about everything.I literally just focus on the game.

We’re trying to win the game to help the team to do the best.”It felt all-too-similar to Aaron Judge’s catch at Dodger Stadium last June, which came at a cost as he busted his toe on the unpadded base of the wall.But unlike Judge, Soto returned to the lineup the very next day, allaying some fears that the Yankees had suffered a costly injury just two weeks away from the postseason.Soto had admitted he was “really worried” about his knee when the play happened, but the pain slowly started to go down over the final two innings of the game.

Still, there was some concern as the star right fielder said he felt it running and when he tried to swing (his spot ...