Angels' Best Player Likely Out for Rest of 2025 Season in Unfortunate Update

Jul 28, 2025; Anaheim, California, USA; Los Angeles Angels shortstop Zach Neto (9) celebrates with designated hitter Mike Trout (27) after the final out of the ninth inning defeating the Texas Rangers at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

With the Los Angeles Angels officially eliminated from postseason contention, a corresponding move was made to help heal arguably the team's best player.

It was announced Tuesday that star shortstop Zach Neto was placed on the 10-day IL. With less than two weeks remaining in the season, coupled with the Angels standing as a non-playoff ballclub, Neto is expected to be shut down for the remainder of the year due to continual pain in his hand.

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Manger Ray Montgomery made this statement about his talented player courtesy of MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger:

Zach Neto (hand) is expected to be held out the rest of the season, Ray Montgomery said. But Nolan Schanuel is starting a rehab assignment tomorrow with Triple-A Salt Lake.

— Rhett Bollinger (@RhettBollinger) September 16, 2025

“I think it's safe to say that we've probably seen him play his last game unfortunately this season,” Montgomery said. “That said, I think when you look at the body of work and what he's done, he should be incredibly proud of the season he had. It's not the way anybody wants to end it. But I mean, the work on the field speaks for itself. This is probably the smart thing to do in this situation.”

Neto got hit in the hand nearly a month ago by Cincinnati Reds pitcher Nick Martinez. Reports indicate that he irritated the injury yet again this past week.

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IMO, the Angels should just put Zach Neto on the IL. Now is not the time to play through pain and risk making it worse.

The fact that his wrist has still been bothering him from a HBP that occurred nearly a month ago (8/20) suggests it’s not going to immediately heal itself. pic.twitter.com/3ocBoySAG7

— BTH (@BeyondTheHalo) September 16, 2025

With the Angels playing for nothing other than pride, sitting Neto is the prudent thing to do. He's developed into one of the most underrated players in all of baseball — not to mention an All-Star-level talent.

If Neto indeed doesn't come back this year, he will have finished this season with a .257 batting average, 26 homers, 82 runs batted in, and a career-high .793 OPS.

He also has accrued two straight seasons with at least 23 homers as well as a second year in a row with at least a 5.0 WAR. Neto also swiped 26 bags this year after accruing 30 last season.

The deeper analytics indicate that the 24-year-old is above the 70th percentile in Baserunning Run Value, xwOBA, xSLG, barrel percentage, average exit velocity, and LA sweet-spot percentage.

There's no doubt Neto is a building block for this franchise considering his age and the energy he brings on a daily basis. The Angels should do everything in their power to lock Neto up long-term considering how much he already means to the team.

For more Angels news, head over to Angels on SI.