Juan Soto Welcomes Cardboard Cutouts of Family to Nationals Park

As Juan Soto made his return to the Nationals lineup on Wednesday after dealing with a positive COVID-19 test to begin the season, his family was in the stands to cheer him on. Well, sort of.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, no fans are allowed at MLB games. Instead, teams have opted to place cardboard cutouts of supporters in seats throughout the ballpark to make the atmosphere feel a little more normal. So of course, Soto's family was "in attendance" for his first game back in left field as the Nationals star had custom cutouts made.

The gang's all here! pic.twitter.com/WfwpfvBMRW
— Nationals on MASN (@masnNationals) August 5, 2020

In a perfect gesture, Soto greeted his cardboard relatives by slapping an RBI double to left field in his first trip to the plate. Though there was no applause from the seats, you can bet there was plenty of cheering going on wherever they are watching the game.

Juan Soto has had 1 at-bat in 2020.
Juan Soto has 1 XBH in 2020.
Juan Soto has 1 RBI in 2020.@JuanSoto25_ // #NATITUDE pic.twitter.com/1dXDmIoERb
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) August 5, 2020

Soto's connection with his family runs deep, and it was on display throughout the Nationals 2019 World Series run. From getting tackled by his father after his clutch knock in the NL Wild Card Game to having a traveling fan club at the World Series, the Soto's are clearly his No. 1 supporters.

So while the pandemic may be keeping them from being there in person, there was no chance Soto was going to return to action without a way to have his family cheer him on.

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