NEW YORK (AP) — Juan Soto, A.J. Minter and Jared Young returned to the New York Mets on Tuesday, when the last-place club’s depth was challenged again by the loss of outfielder Tyrone Taylor to the 10-day injured list due to a right hip flexor strain.
Soto, who missed two games due to an illness, was in the lineup as the designated hitter, batting third, in the middle game of a three-game series against the Cincinnati Reds.
“Almost back to normal,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said of Soto, who was battling a bug that’s been going around the clubhouse.
Young was batting fifth and playing first base in his first action since April 12, when he tore his left meniscus. Mendoza said the Mets might ease Young into outfield duty. The 30-year-old hit .350 in his first 20 at-bats while seeing time at first base, left field, right field and designated hitter.
Minter hasn’t pitched since April 26, 2025, due to a torn left lat. The left-hander also battled a sore left hip earlier this month.
Mendoza said he wouldn’t hesitate to use Minter in high-leverage spots. The Mets’ bullpen is in flux behind closer Devin Williams and eighth-inning man Luke Weaver.
“I’ll be comfortable with him throwing the eighth inning in a one-run game, I’ll be comfortable with him getting the last three outs if we need to,” Mendoza said. “I’m glad he’s back on the active roster, because we need him.”
Taylor, the Mets’ top reserve outfielder, hit the injured list one day after he pulled up lame while grounding out in the sixth inning of a 7-2 loss to the Reds. Mendoza said Taylor is week-to-week, which was good news after the Mets feared the 31-year-old might be looking at a far lengthier absence.
“I think it was a sense of relief for him and for all of us here that we didn’t get the worst news,” Mendoza said.
Taylor is the ninth member of the Mets’ opening day roster to hit the injured list. He joins catcher Francisco Alvarez (torn right meniscus), shortstop Francisco Lindor (strained left calf), infielder Jorge Polanco (left Achilles, right wrist), outfielder Luis Robert Jr. (lumbar spine disk herniation) and pitchers Clay Holmes (broken right fibula) and Kodai Senga (lumbar spine inflammation) on the shelf.
Robert was shifted to the 60-day disabled list Tuesday.
In addition to Young, Soto also missed 15 games in April with a strained right calf.
To make room for Minter and Young, the Mets optioned pitcher Jonathan Pintaro and outfielder Nick Morabito to Triple-A Syracuse. Infielder Eric Wagaman was recalled from Syracuse to replace Taylor.
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New York Mets' Juan Soto hits a single during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Miami Marlins, Friday, May 22, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Carol Ross can’t stop smiling at dance practice as she shouts out the steps of a routine to members of her tap and jazz troupe for women age 50 and older.
“I’ve been dancing my whole life, it’s the best,” said Ross, who founded the Rodeo City Wreckettes group 23 years ago at an age when many people are getting ready for retirement.
Now 87, Ross and her husband and lifelong dance partner John, also 87, have long known what more older adults are now discovering: Moving to music is one of the best ways to stay healthy. Medical professionals say it doesn’t matter if it’s Western line dancing, ballroom steps, salsa, tap, Zumba at the gym, or with a group like the Wreckettes.
“Dancing is one of the most powerful activities for older people,” said Julio Loya, a nurse and geriatric program coordinator at the Tucson Medical Center.
Dance, like other exercise, can help people lose weight, get stronger, reduce fall risk, increase mobility and flexibility, and even improve brain health.
“ It engages their brain, it changes their mood, and it connects them socially while getting them moving,” said Loya. “And it’s fun. Everybody has a good time.”
Dr. Thomas Johnson, a geriatrician at the UCHealth Seniors Clinic in Aurora, Colorado, said he remembers one man in particular whose passion for dance was so strong that he willed himself to attend one last class before he died in his late 80s.
“His No. 1 priority was that he danced until the day that he died," Johnson said of his patient.
Johnson said dance can improve the balance of his patients at the clinic, which serves about 2,500 people 75 and older a year.
He said older patients can benefit from adding two to three dance sessions to the 150 minutes of aerobic exercise he recommends for them each week, because dancing often involves movements that help with balance, such as walking backward or standing on one foot.
The Wreckettes practice their routines during two-hour sessions at least twice a week in a rented dance studio.
After studying ballet as a girl, then moving on to everything from ballroom to tap as an adult, Ross said it made sense to keep dancing when she and her husband moved from Philadelphia to retire in Tucson.
John Ross is a key part of the Wreckettes' routines, typically joining his wife for at least one number. At one recent practice, it was a saucy saunter to Merle Haggard’s “Let’s Chase Each Other Around the Room.”
“I learned early on that dancing was a great way to attract the chicks,” joked John Ross, who slid across the floor like a much younger man.
Wreckettes member Cindy Soffrin said that watching her mother suffer as she aged convinced her to stay active as she got older.
“My mom was sedentary the last 20 years of her life. It was pretty rough,” said Soffrin, 74.
For 67-year-old Gail Kowalski, joining the Wreckettes three years ago meant finding new friends after her husband died and she moved from Utah to Tucson.
“Plus, it’s so dang fun,” Kowalski said.
The Wreckettes perform throughout the year, from holiday events to rodeo shows, dressing up in a series of matching sparkly costumes.
But they all said what they love the most is being hired by retirement homes to perform for memory care patients. Wreckette members take turns picking a favorite charity to donate their earnings.
“When we first arrive, people will be distracted or sleeping,” said Soffrin. “But once the music comes on, they perk up right away.”
A similar dance group for older women in Las Vegas, the Vegas Golden Gals, also performs at retirement homes, said Cheryl Cortez, the group’s president. They add pompoms to their routines.
“I must now know close to 40 routines,” said Cortez, 69. “And that alone has to be great for the memory.”
If you want to start moving to music, here are some tips from health professionals and dance instructors:
BEFORE STARTING: Check with your health provider before starting a dance or any exercise program. Choose something simple to start, like line dancing rather than intricate tango steps.
FIND A CLASS: Check with a YMCA, parks and recreation department, or senior or community center. Community colleges often have dance classes, sometimes tailored for older people. Local dance studios and YouTube videos are other options. If you have Medicare Advantage insurance with the Silver Sneakers benefit, find out if your local gym has Zumba or other dance classes you can attend for free.
BEFORE THE SESSION: Dress comfortably for easy movement, and warm up and stretch before class.
MOST IMPORTANTLY: Have fun! You are doing great things for your mind and body.
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For more AP stories about healthy aging, go to https://apnews.com/hub/aging
The Rodeo City Wreckettes' Carol Ross 87, and her husband, John, 87, perform a dance to the song, “Let’s Chase Each Other ‘round the Room Tonight" on Thursday, April 16, 2026, in Tucson, Ariz. (Anita Snow via AP) CORRECTION: John Ross' age corrected to 87 from 89.
Members of The Rodeo City Wreckettes, a tap and jazz dance group for older women, practice on Thursday, April 16, 2026, in Tucson, Ariz. (Anita Snow via AP)
Carol Ross, of The Rodeo City Wreckettes, a tap and jazz dance group for older women, appears at a practice on Thursday, April 16, 2026, in Tucson, Ariz. (Anita Snow via AP)
Cindy Soffrin, from left, Carol Ross, and Suzy Rhoades, of The Rodeo City Wreckettes, a tap and jazz dance group for older women, practice on Thursday, April 16, 2026, in Tucson, Ariz. (Anita Snow via AP)
The Rodeo City Wreckettes' Carol Ross 87, and her husband, John, 89, perform a dance to the song, “Let’s Chase Each Other ‘round the Room Tonight" on Thursday, April 16, 2026, in Tucson, Ariz. (Anita Snow via AP)
Gail Kowalski, from left, Suzy Rhoades, Carol Ross and Cindy Soffrin, of The Rodeo City Wreckettes, a tap and jazz dance group for older women, practice on Thursday, April 16, 2026, in Tucson, Ariz. (Anita Snow via AP)
