Boston Red Sox rookie Enmanuel Valdez earned the nickname “Mini Soto” throughout his time in the minor leagues, with scouts and fans comparing his swing to that of San Diego Padres superstar Juan Soto.
It’s a lofty nickname, but one that looked pretty dang good on Saturday night.
Valdez, playing in front of Soto for the very first time, showed off the comparable swing with an absolute rocket into the right-field bleachers at Petco Park to put Boston up, 3-0.
In a moment of pure baseball heaven, Soto responded in the Padres’ next at-bat.
It was a nice night for the two Soto’s.
Valdez has a knack for the moment, as each of his first three Major League Baseball home runs have had a flair for the dramatic. He hit his first on May 1, with his second coming in the very first game his family saw him play in the United States. What better place for the third than in front of the man he’s nicknamed after?
The Red Sox play against the Houston Astros — who traded Valdez in exchange for Christian Vasquez at the trade deadline in 2022 — in late August, so if you’re looking for a time to lay money down in the Red Sox rookie, that might be it.
You can watch the Red Sox and Padres finish out their Saturday night matchup on NESN.
