Juan Soto hits home run, does bat flip in first Nationals scrimmage after COVID-19 absence

Washington Nationals star Juan Soto finally made it onto the diamond Saturday after missing time due to positive COVID-19 tests. He didn’t waste any time making an impact, hitting a home run during his team’s scrimmage.

Then, he flipped his bat and pointed to the sky, clearly feeling great about being back.

Juan Soto just hit an opposite-field homer off Kyle McGowin, flips his bat and points to the sky while rounding first. Reminded me of when Hamilton Porter goes yard in Sandlot and everyone is mad at him.

— Jesse Dougherty (@dougherty_jesse) August 1, 2020

Then, when he approached home plate, his enthusiasm continued to shine through.

Juan Soto with an enthusiastic arrival to home plate after homering to left field in the #Nationals scrimmage. pic.twitter.com/RvWEp66W8w

— Jessica Camerato (@JessicaCamerato) August 1, 2020

Soto had expressed a ton of frustration about being forced to be away from his teammates. His situation was complicated because he had a bunch of negative tests but still hadn’t been cleared to return.

Then on Friday, Soto was finally cleared to return to the clubhouse. Now, he’s back doing what he does best.