Frustrated Soto trying to snap out of his rare slump

It has become something of a familiar sight in recent weeks: Juan Soto hitting a hard ground ball somewhere on the infield and then showing visible frustration with the result after another potential breakout at-bat ending in an out.

And it happened again Saturday afternoon in the opener of the Nationals' doubleheader sweep at the hands of the Brewers. With a chance to deliver in a big spot - two on, one out - Soto smashed a 100.6 mph ground ball right to second baseman Kolten Wong, who started a 4-6-3 double play that ended the inning and left the 21-year-old slugger slamming his helmet to the ground.

"It's kind of tough," Soto said afterward in a Zoom session with reporters. "We've been working a lot trying to drive the ball to the middle of the field. And to roll over there in a big situation where we can get some runs is pretty tough for me. I try to control it, but the emotions just come out."

They came out because this wasn't an isolated incident. Soto has been making outs in big spots a lot, especially on the ground. This was the sixth double play he's hit into this season, six times as many as he hit into during the entire 60-game 2020 season.

That it came on another well-struck ball that never left the ground made it all the more frustrating.

"This is why I don't really want to talk much to him," manager Davey Martinez said. "Because he is hitting the ball hard. He lined out his first at-bat. I keep telling him: 'It's gonna come. Just see the ball, get a good pitch and hit it. You've been hitting the ball hard.'"

Soto may be hitting the ball hard, but he's not hitting it for power, nor is he producing at a level he or the Nationals expect. Following Saturday's doubleheader, he's now batting .273 with a .390 on-base percentage and .394 slugging percentage in 38 games played. His .784 OPS is his lowest since May 17, 2019, when it sat at .779.

For most hitters, those numbers wouldn't be alarming. For Soto, they're evidence of one of the few true slumps of his major league career. And it's clear why this is happening: He's not hitting the ball with authority in the air.

His line drive rate (24 percent) is down. He's only hitting 9.1 percent of his fly balls for homers, way down from his 23.2 percent rate last season.

How does Soto fix this?

"Just trying to hit the ball a little out in front," he said. "You know, it's a round ball and a round bat. We're just trying our best to get the bat on top of the ball and get that backspin going. It's nothing crazy. Just have to try to get on top of the ball and let it drive."

It sounds simple enough, but it's not proving to be a simple fix. Which does lead to an obvious question: Is the shoulder strain that landed Soto on the injured list last month negatively impacting his swing?

"Not at all," he insisted. "My shoulder feels really good right now. Everything: Throwing, swinging. My teammates, they really got my back before. Now that I feel good, I think I can have their back. I feel ready to go. I think my shoulder isn't any problem right now."

Whatever the reason, Soto's struggles are clearly hurting the Nationals as a whole. Unable to score runs consistently this season, they're left hoping their best hitter will figure things out sometime soon.

Problem is, they don't want him succumbing to the pressure that comes with a high-profile slump like this.

"Don't try to be The Guy. Just be A Guy," Martinez said. "Do your thing, and the guys behind you will do their thing. It's going to come. Don't push this. Stick to the process. And it will come."