Angels Shortstop Zach Neto Takes Huge Step In Recovery Process

Los Angeles Angels shortstop has taken a huge step forward in his recovery process.

Neto, who underwent right shoulder surgery in early November, has started throwing. According to general manager Perry Minasian, Neto is ahead of schedule.

Zach Neto has started throwing, which Perry Minasian said was earlier than they expected. Still no firm timetable for him.
— Jeff Fletcher (@JeffFletcherOCR) February 17, 2025

Neto is unsure if he'll be ready for Opening Day, but remains optimistic about his progress. He was originally projected to miss the start of the season, so his unexpected progress is a positive sign he'll be ready sooner, rather than later.

Neto emerged as the team's top performer last season, posting a .249/.318/.443 slash line with 23 home runs, 34 doubles, 77 RBIs, and 30 stolen bases over 155 games. He led the club with a 5.1 bWAR while delivering solid defense at shortstop.

“Physically, I'm feeling good,” Neto said Wednesday. “I just got here and got to see doctors yesterday and got a bunch of good news. So, you know, just a matter of taking it step by step and having a great spring training. Everything is coming along very well, ahead of schedule.”

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While there is still no timetable for Neto's return, his ahead-of-schedule profress is encouraging.

“Great news,” Minasian said. “Obviously, he's an important part of this team. And we're going to take a day-to-day [approach] with him, but he's doing well. It's nice to be [24], isn't it? You recover a little quicker. We’re excited with where he's at.”

Neto injured his shoulder while sliding into second base against the White Sox on Sept. 26, forcing him to miss the final three games of the season. Although he initially spent three weeks rehabbing after the season, surgery was ultimately required to repair the damage.

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Because the team was anticipating Neto to miss some time to begin the 2025 season, Minasian loaded up on infield depth.

That depth is going to be even more important now that third baseman Anthony Rendon is expected to miss the entire season after having hip surgery.

With Rendon out, Luis Rengifo or Yoan Moncada will play third with Tim Anderson, Scott Kingery and Kevin Newman as potential options at shortstop.

Anderson seems to to be the favorite as he was once considered one of the top young players in baseball.

Over eight seasons with the Chicago White Sox, he won the American League batting title in 2019 with a .335 average. A two-time All-Star, he earned selections in 2021 and 2022. Anderson also played a key role in helping the White Sox reach the playoffs in 2020 and 2021.

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