The Los Angeles Angels head into the halfway point of the season with a number of question marks on their roster, most of which are injury related, including that of shortstop Zach Neto.
The rookie has been out of action since June 14, after manager Phil Nevin removed him from the starting lineup when Neto noticed his side didn’t feel right. The Angels opted to shut him down until he fully recovered.
They’ve relied on a number of options at shortstop, recalling both Andrew Velazquez and David Fletcher from Triple-A to hold down the position. Their contributions have been adequate, but with a need for upside, the Angels received good news regarding Neto and his recovery, per Jeff Fletcher of the O.C. Register:
Neto, who is out with a strained oblique, has been doing defensive work and hitting off the high-velocity pitching machines. He could face live pitching as soon as Saturday.
It’s possible that he could be activated for the first game after the break, next Friday.
With an oblique, any uncommon feeling in the area can prompt an alarming reaction. The Angels making the difficult, but wise decision to halt his season was the best option:
“It’s just a matter of how he feels,” Nevin said. “He’s been out a little bit of time. As you know, hitting is a timing thing. How he feels coming out of this week, we’ll certainly have some better answers in the next few days.”
In his first 199 plate appearances, Neto has posted a .259/.338/.431 slash, which included six home runs and 22 RBI. The Angels sorely miss his production, and his injury stopped a hot stretch right in its tracks.
Through Neto’s first two weeks of June prior to injury, he put up a 215 wRC+ and a .355/.444/.710 line, with three homers and four RBI. He found a home in the nine spot in the Angels’ batting order, which was a strong point for Nevin and his lineup construction.
Mike Trout vows to return to Angels lineup this season
After already undergoing surgery on Wednesday to replace a broken hamate bone in his left wrist, Trout has a clear shot to return to the Angels before the season is over.
He was recently named to his 11th All-Star Game roster after posting a 137 wRC+ in 81 games including 18 home runs, 44 RBI, 54 runs scored and a 3.1 fWAR. But the injury will keep him out of the Midsummer Classic.
The turnaround time for his injury is about 4-to-8 weeks, but with a hasty move by Trout and the team to have him undergo surgery as soon as possible, he could be back rather quickly.
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