Juan Soto missing from Yankees' lineup for blockbuster game against the Dodgers due to inflammation

A day after leaving a game early due to a potential injury, New York Yankees star right fielder Juan Soto was out of the starting lineup for the Yankees' blockbuster matchup with the Los Angeles Dodgers — but he's likely to return soon.

The 25-year-old outfielder was present at Yankee Stadium for Friday's game, with his arrival captured on the YES Network. According to Yankees manager Aaron Boone, Soto might even be available Friday night.

Soto exited the Yankees' game against the Minnesota Twins early on Thursday, with the Yankees citing left forearm soreness. Boone confirmed Friday that testing revealed that Soto was suffering from inflammation and not a worse injury.

"In the grand scheme of things, we got some good news," Boone told reporters.

Boone also told reporters ahead of the game that he expects Soto to avoid going on IL and that the slugger might be available for other games in the Dodgers series, even if he doesn't play Friday.

After Thursday's game, Boone said that Soto had been dealing with the discomfort in his left forearm for a week or so and that the soreness had not been triggered by anything in particular on Thursday. Soto underwent additional tests Friday to determine the severity of the injury.

Soto is one of the Yankees' top hitters, with a batting average of .318 and a 1.027 OPS. The Yankees acquired him in December in a blockbuster, seven-player trade with the San Diego Padres. The Dominican outfielder has been a huge boost for the Yankees, with 17 home runs, 49 runs and 53 RBI.

After a few seasons of stumbling below expectations, the Yankees currently hold the best record in baseball at 45-19, led by the trio of Soto, Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton. The team might miss Soto's strength in at-bat against the Dodgers, who have their own team of superstars led by Shohei Ohtani.