This isn't the Juan Soto that San Diego Padres fans were expecting. When they traded for the ex-Nationals star, fans expected a power hitter with excellent plate discipline, an unstoppable force. Since the trade, though, Soto has oddly struggled to buy a hit for San Diego. Those struggles have carried over to the 2023 season. Juan Soto was held hitless for the last five games, the second-longest streak in his career, per ESPN Stats and Info.

Juan Soto's best asset aside from his power was always his eye. The Padres outfielder has the uncanny ability to sniff out balls and strikes. He has tremendous plate discipline. Even in his “down year”, Soto still leads the league in BBs.

Those bases on balls aren't able to salvage Soto's OBP this year. Because of his awful hitting this year, Soto's on-base percentage sits at a measly .346 compared to his regular averages. The Padres star just hasn't been able to buy a hit this season, with this latest hitless streak being proof of that. His struggles (along with Manny Machado's own plate problems) threaten to hamstring the Padres' offense. Perhaps the new pitch clock is disrupting his rhythm: Soto has voiced his displeasure of the new rules already.

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Newcomer Xander Bogaerts is quite literally the only one keeping the Padres' offense alive this season. The star shortstop is batting .362 this season with a 1.010 OPS. Machado, Bogaerts, and the rest of the San Diego offense, on the other hand, are struggling to hit the broad side of the barn this year.

Despite the awful offense, the Padres are just 8-10. It's a bad record, but it definitely could've been worse (winning three against the Braves helped). We'll see if Juan Soto can find a way to channel his old self in this new “era”.