The Los Angeles Angels have dealt with some injuries to their pitching staff, but overall their offense has remained relatively healthy.
Austin Warren and José Quijada are set to undergo Tommy John surgery, while Aaron Loup was placed on the 15-day injured list with a hamstring injury.
As for their position players, Jared Walsh remains out due to insomnia and headaches but he has made continuous progress. Zach Neto also suffered an injury while trying to bunt, but it appears to be more on the minor side, which is good news for the Angels, via Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register:
Neto suffered a laceration to his right middle finger when he was trying to bunt. He demonstrated to Nevin on Thursday morning that he was able to throw accurately, but he nonetheless has had some issues since then, including one error.
Neto received a day off on Sunday in the series finale against the Texas Rangers. It’s unclear when he will return to the lineup, but it seems to depend on how long it takes the cut to heal up:
Neto’s finger has been wrapped, and Nevin said it’s been tough to get a feel for the ball at certain times.
“It’s a cut, not anything structural,” Nevin said. “As soon as that subsides a little bit, I think he’ll be fine.”
Neto has appeared in 21 games for the Angels as their primary shortstop since his promotion from Double-A. He’s batting .236/.329/.292 with an 80 wRC+ from the leadoff role with five runs and seven RBI.
The Angels could use some more production from the 22-year-old, but it was fair to expect a bit of a transition period from Double-A to the Major League level, which is a significant jump in skill level.
Neto has produced at every level of the Minor Leagues, so the Angels remain confident it’s just a matter of time until he breaks out.
Griffin Canning feels ‘pretty good’
The Angels welcomed Griffin Canning back to the team after nearly two years, and in four starts the results have been mixed for the 26-year-old.
Canning altered his training regimen to hasten his return to big-league action, which resulted in five innings of two-run ball with four strikeouts in his first start of the season.
The right-hander is now 2-0 with a 5.31 ERA on the season, but the Angels haven’t lost a game in which he’s started. Despite his high ERA, Canning is optimistic about his play and feels good on the mound.
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