Now, the former Padre is even getting “Star Wars”-related nicknames. The Yankees presented the outfielder’s name as “Juan Solo” on the jumbotron during their contest against the Detroit Tigers on Saturday, via @NestorCaddy on X. The name change was in honor of “Star Wars Day,” borne out of the popular saying “May the 4th be with you.”
New York has good reason to compare Soto to the iconic Han Solo character. The 25-year-old is hitting .318 with eight home runs and 42 RBIs and has led the Yankees to a 22-13 record as of Saturday.
Genius pic.twitter.com/eQu0P2ZzQ0
— Jakob (@NestorCaddy) May 4, 2024
Fans online have gone wild reacting to the club’s funny stunt. One X user even cleverly flipped the nickname into evidence that Soto will leave New York after this season, via @Ben_Yoel.
Could the fan be right, even with Soto in the midst of a banner year?
Regardless of how the Yankees’ season goes, Soto’s future will probably come down to money
Soto explained that he wants his next contract to be his last, whether it be with the Yankees or anyone else, via ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez.
“At the end of the day, everybody wants to be where they’re going to finish their career,” Soto said. “This free agency was really tough for a lot of players, but I think if you ask any guy in the clubhouse, anywhere, they will be happy to be in a long-term deal and try to finish their career where they can be. That’s the best thing for me — to stay in one place and try to, whenever I do this deal, just finish in that one spot.”
This is a valid sentiment, as bouncing around from city to city is exhausting for any player. While giving Soto endearing nicknames is nice, Hal Steinbrenner and the Yankees’ brass will have to put their money where their mouths are if they want to prove fans like @Ben_Yoel wrong.
