Angels Ace in the Hole: Budding Superstar Surgery Sparks Concern for…
Needless to say that the Los Angeles Angels have been quick to turn the page on last season.
Often overlooked in southern California, the Los Angeles’ American League entrant was but a footnote in the City of the Angels last season, narrowly avoiding a 100-loss campaign as the Los Angeles Dodgers won the World Series.
The Angels are quickly moving on to improving on a 63-99 record and a last-place finish in not exactly sparkling AL West, bringing starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks and designated hitter Jorge Soler into the fold this offseason.
However, Los Angeles remains haunted by what occurred late in the moribund 2024 campaign. Budding star shortstop Zach Neto’s splendid season was cut a week short when he injured his right shoulder while sliding into second base in a game against the Chicago White Sox on Sept. 26.
Neto got many Major League Baseball followers to stand up and take notice as he hit 23 home runs with 77 RBI, 70 runs scored, and 30 stolen bases over 155 games in his second big-league season.
The 23-year-old is now being counted on as a major part of the Angels’ rebuilding core. However, according to MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger, Neto may not be recovered by the start of next season.
Bollinger cites Angels general manager Perry Minasian as saying that Neto had surgery on his injured shoulder on Wednesday. Minasian did not specify the exact nature of Neto’s injury or what procedure was performed on the former first-round draft pick.
However, the GM did note that Neto’s recovery window could stretch beyond Opening Day 2025.
It’s rough news for an Angels team that is still uncertain whether superstar outfielder Mike Trout will be recovered from a torn meniscus in time for next season.
Minasian proclaimed this week that Trout is “gearing toward being ready for Spring Training” in February, according to Eva Geitheim of Sports Illustrated. The face of the Angels franchise missed the majority of last season due to the injury.
