Juan Soto had a chance to silence Yankees fans: Now he’s Jose Altuve | Klapisch

NEW YORK — I don’t claim to be an expert in human behavior, but sometimes all you need is a halfway decent radar to know when someone is unhappy. That’s what I’m seeing and sensing in Mets right fielder Juan Soto after his lost weekend in the Bronx.

The man is downright miserable.

Although Soto said he was ready for the homecoming, he was shell-shocked by the time Sunday night rolled around. Three sell-out crowds broke him.

With only one hit in the Subway Series, Soto couldn’t have picked a worse time to slump. The army of Yankees loyalists crowned him as the new Jose Altuve.

But this is a far worse sentence. Altuve the cheater has been replaced by Soto the traitor.

He should know there’ll be no pardons at the Stadium. Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor said, “This is probably the way it’s going to be for Juan” from now on.

Remember this weekend if the Yankees and Mets clash in the World Series. It’s not impossible. These are two excellent teams that just might run the table.

Soto better have a plan for October. Hoping for a truce by tipping his helmet on Friday was never going to work. Soto should’ve known these fans are not soft. They don’t forgive.

I’m surprised Soto miscalculated so badly. He figured he had enough equity to limit the hostility to one night. Let the fans get the booing out of their system, and then it would be back to peace and love for the rest of the weekend.

He couldn’t have been more naive.

What Soto needed was a couple of home runs over the short porch — monster blasts. That was the only response Yankees fans would’ve respected. But the tentative at-bats only made Soto look weak.

Friday’s booing rolled into Saturday. No more helmet tipping. No more turning around to interact with the Bleacher Creatures. Sunday was the worst day of all. By then, Soto was in a terrible mood.

He’d agreed to be miked up by ESPN in the second inning but changed his mind minutes before the game. Soto told Mets officials he was tired of answering questions about Yankees captain Aaron Judge and sick of explaining why he chose the Mets.

It was a telling reversal. Most major leaguers jump at the chance for the easy Q&A on a national broadcast. They’re designed to make the players look good. The fact that Soto blew off the network was only the first sign of his darkening state of mind.

The second was Soto’s conduct after the Mets’ 8-2 loss. Not only was he held hitless, but the signature swag had vanished. Soto’s bat seemed slow, and more surprisingly, he’s put on a few pounds around the middle.

Just as Soto turned his back on ESPN, he did the same to reporters who were waiting to speak to him in the post-game clubhouse. Soto got dressed and began walking towards the door. He told a Mets official he’d be back to answer questions after seeing family members outside.

Soto never returned.

That’s not the same stand-up guy who was always at his locker last season. Even after being skewered on Friday, Soto spoke of the obligation to “take it like a man.” Two days later, he was running for the exit.

These are troubling signs for the Mets’ hierarchy. I’m told they’re concerned about Soto’s lack of enthusiasm for his new team. The only time Soto seemed happy this weekend was while he interacted with Judge, manager Aaron Boone and second baseman Jazz Chisholm during batting practice.

As I said, I’m no mind reader, but my hunch is that not only does Soto miss the Yankees, but the permanence of his decision is sinking in. Soto is staring at another 14-plus years in Flushing.

My advice to Soto is to get over it quickly. The fans at Citi Field are behind him. The short-term support will undoubtedly spike in reaction to the savage treatment in the Bronx.

But the loyalty won’t last forever. Mets fans can be just as tough as their Bronx counterparts. They’re counting on Soto to take the Mets deep into October. But they won’t go anywhere if Soto keeps shrinking the way he did this weekend,

A .132 average with runners in scoring position isn’t going to cut it. Mets fans will eventually run out of patience if Soto doesn’t improve.

I have no doubt Soto will come around. He’s too talented for a season-long outage. But he needs to start taking control of the inside corner and stop letting fastballs beat him. That’s not what Mets owner Steve Cohen is paying $765 million for.

Someone asked me if I thought the Yankees players were enjoying Soto’s misery. The answer is no. They still like him.

But that doesn’t matter to the fans who screamed. “F---k Juan Soto” for three straight days. They’re the ones who took his defection personally.

I asked Mets starting pitcher Clay Holmes if there was any chance for a reprieve for Soto.

Holmes, a former Yankee himself, looked at me like I was crazy.

“This is New York,” he said.

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Bob Klapisch may be reached at bklapisch@njadvancemedia.com.