New York Mets owner Steve Cohen broke out the big bucks for All-Star outfielder Juan Soto, and he’s still awaiting a return on investment.

Soto signed a record-setting 15-year, $765 million contract in December. Although the Mets enter play Tuesday at a league-best 20-9, the four-time All-Star is only hitting .257 with three home runs and a .787 OPS.

If Cohen is panicking, he’s certainly not showing it. During an appearance on “The Show” podcast earlier this week, Cohen pointed out that Soto still excels at getting on base, subsequently allowing first baseman Pete Alonso to drive him in.

Alonso’s 27 RBI trail only New York Yankees star Aaron Judge and San Francisco Giants designated hitter Wilmer Flores for the MLB lead. Both have 28, with Judge well on pace for his fourth 100-RBI season.

“It’s very subtle how that works, and you can’t just look at it in a very narrow sense,” Cohen explained.

Cohen also praised Soto’s ability to work counts and extend at-bats. Soto has drawn 21 walks against 19 strikeouts, though his .378 on-base percentage would be the lowest of his career.

Soto’s most significant issue is arguably the lack of power. The five-time Silver Slugger has three homers in 29 games, putting him on pace for a shockingly low 17.

“I think, if you ask him, he’ll probably say it’s not going as what he hoped,” Cohen acknowledged.

Soto has never had fewer than 22 home runs in a full season. It’s also worth noting he mashed 13 homers over 47 games during the shortened 2020 season; that’s a 35-home run, 127-game pace if not for the pandemic.

“I mean, he is singly focused on baseball,” Cohen added. “He’s a pure hitter. Let’s have this discussion at the end of the year.”