New York Yankees star Juan Soto brushed off Luis Severino's dismissive remark about the Bronx Bombers' offense.

The New York Mets starting pitcher, who spent the previous eight seasons in pinstripes, said he wasn't scared by the prospect of facing his old team and suggested the Yankees "only have two good hitters."

Following Monday's 9-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays, Soto responded that Severino and the Mets "can think whatever they want."

"We dominated most of the first half, so I don't think this is only about one or two players," he told reporters. "It takes every single guy in the lineup and our relievers in the bullpen and everything, so I think it's not only a two-player team. I think it's a really good team right now."

Given the tone with which he delivered the remark, it sounded like Severino was simply engaging in some friendly trash talk with his former teammates, and he confirmed as much to Mike Puma of the New York Post.

"There were a lot of people, but I know that the guys from the team know that I was joking," the right-hander said. "A lot of fans went crazy about it. The guys that I really care about are the team and they knew I was joking around. Sometimes somebody is going to be pissed but in the end I wasn't trying to hurt anybody."

One reason his playful jab resonated as much as it did is that it carried a level of truth.

Soto and Aaron Judge have stood head and shoulders above everyone else in the Yankees offense so far. They're the only two everyday contributors batting above .300, while Giancarlo Stanton is the only other player in the lineup to be slugging better than .400.

New York's star duo has shouldered a disproportionate burden and the numbers show it.

The Yankees and Mets meet for the first game of their two-game set Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium. You can bet the hitters behind Soto and Judge will have a massive chip on their shoulder when they step up to the plate.