The Los Angeles Angels have used a combination of veteran infielders David Fletcher and Andrew Velazquez to hold them over at shortstop, but the club received a hint of good news regarding their top rookie Zach Neto.
Neto has been out of game action since June 14, after feeling his left oblique begin to bother him. The former first-round pick mentioned that this was an injury he hadn’t dealt with before, and the Angels have taken a conservative approach to him coming back.
The upside of his bat has been missed in the lineup, considering he began to show a decent run of power in his few weeks prior to going down. In his first 199 big league plate appearances, Neto slugged six home runs with 22 RBI.
With a decent runway of time to recovery as the All-Star break approaches, the rookie is working closer to returning to the field, per Jeff Fletcher of the O.C. Register:
Shortstop Zach Neto (oblique) has not yet begun any baseball activity, but he is hoping that on Friday he’ll be able to begin some light throwing. Neto said he no longer feels any symptoms, but he feels “a good soreness” from returning to workouts after a couple of weeks off. There is no timetable for him to return.
Although the Angels don’t provide a set timeline, Neto feeling good soreness and not pain is one step closer.
The Angels have enough depth to continue to allow him to take his time, and with his standing as their top infield prospect, there’s no rush on his return.
Fellow Angels rookie Logan O’Hoppe is on the right track
Logan O’Hoppe joined the Angels as their new No. 1 prospect and received the nod to join the club as part of their Opening Day roster. Through 53 at-bats, he notched an .886 on-base plus slugging.
His hot start gave some life to the Angels, but he, unfortunately, suffered a torn left labrum on April 20, putting him out for at least four to six months following surgery.
Now that O’Hoppe is a few months into his rehab process, he’s thrilled with how his shoulder is progressing.
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