ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — The Los Angeles Angels activated shortstop Zach Neto off the injured list before Friday night's series opener against the San Francisco Giants.
The 24-year-old Neto injured his right shoulder injury when his arm got caught underneath his chest on a head-first slide into second base against the Chicago White Sox last Sept. 26. He missed the final three games of the season and had surgery in November.
Neto went 1 for 3 with an RBI double as the Angels beat the Giants 2-0.
A first-round pick out of Campbell University in North Carolina in 2022, Neto hit .249 with a .761 OPS, 23 home runs, 34 doubles, 77 RBIs, 70 runs and 30 stolen bases in 155 games last season.
The return of Neto's bat should be a considerable upgrade over Tim Anderson and Kevin Newman, who played solid defense but provided little offense for the Angels. Anderson hit .171 with a .422 OPS, one double and three RBIs in his first 15 games. Newman hit .136 with a .273 OPS and no RBIs in nine games.
“He brings energy. He brings gamesmanship. He plays with a chip on his shoulder. We’ve missed him, and now he’s back,” Angels manager Ron Washington said. “We’re not expecting Neto to carry this team, but he’s got baseball skills, and his skillset plays. His skillset can do a lot for our team.”
Since scoring 11 runs at Tampa Bay on April 10, the Angels have scored 14 runs, an average of 2.3 runs per game and have lost five of their last six at Houston and Texas.
Neto missed all of spring training and began a rehabilitation assignment at Triple-A Salt Lake on April 1. He made eight starts at shortstop, playing 56 innings in the field, and five at designated hitter, batting .286 (14 for 49) with a .988 OPS, four homers, three doubles and eight RBIs in the 13 games.
“This is probably the closest thing to my (big league) debut, getting that call,” Neto said of being activated. “Just coming here, kind of where it all started … I’m excited to be back and get to work and be with the guys again.
“Every day that I wasn’t with the team, it was pretty shocking to me. I wanted to be there with the guys, but I knew I needed to take care of myself, I needed to get right before I came back to play.”
To make room on the roster for Neto, utility man Nicky Lopez was designated for assignment.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB
Mike Digiovanna, The Associated Press
