Angels Insider Reveals Zach Neto's Timeline to Return From Injury

Los Angeles Angels shortstop Zach Neto was arguably the Halos' best player in 2024, but his season debut won't be on Opening Day.

More news: Angels 2023 Draft Pick Suddenly Retires From MLB at 22 Years Old

Neto underwent shoulder surgery in November and will begin the season on the injured list. However, Angels insider Jeff Fletcher provides some insight as to when the team's infield quarterback should make his 2025 debut.

"Neto started throwing a few weeks ago, and he began throwing from shortstop to second base over the weekend," Fletcher writes. "If all continues to go well with that, he’ll start throwing to first by next week. Neto has been taking batting practice, but he still hasn’t faced live pitching. Given all that, it seems reasonable to expect Neto back sometime in April."

In 2024, Neto was Anaheim's biggest star, slashing .249/.318/.443 with 23 home runs, 34 doubles, 77 RBIs, and 30 stolen bases across 155 games. Neto led the Angels defensively and had a 5.1 bWAR at shortstop.

Although he made strides this spring in his recovery, the Angels announced Neto would unfortunately not be ready by Opening Day.

"We like the progress,” Angels manager Ron Washington said. “I think he’s gonna tell us how soon he can get back. No way it’s going to be the 27th of March.”

The Angels have a few options to select as Neto's replacement for the time being. Tim Anderson, Kevin Newman, and Scott Kingery all have a chance of emerging as the Angels' Opening Day shortstop.

Meanwhile, Neto will continue to rehab and hope to replicate his strong performance from 2024.

“He’s an animal,” Washington said to reporters earlier this spring. “I think if we decided to let him play right now, he’ll go out there and try to play. That’s who he is. So we’ve just got to keep our eye on him and keep monitoring him."

More news: Angels' Inappropriate Hat Removed From MLB Store

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