Zach Neto To Join Angels On Road Trip; Will Resume Baseball Activities

The Los Angeles Angels head east to face off with the New York Mets in the first leg of their road trip, and with that is an update with rookie Zach Neto.

Neto has been out of action since early August, marking the second time in recent months that he missed games with a back ailment. In mid-June, the 22-year-old was put on the 10-day injured list with an oblique strain, and there’s some thought that his current lower back inflammation stepped from the original injury.

In his 224 at-bats this year, Neto has logged a .726 on-base plus slugging, but his promising upside and potential are what have made the Angels extremely excited. Thankfully, the team believes he’s ready to go, per MLB.com:

Neto is pain-free and the rookie shortstop is set to join the Angels on their road trip and will start baseball activities in New York on Aug. 25. He was initially set to begin baseball activities at home, but saw that plan pushed back by a few days.

Neto being the first of his draft class to reach the majors has been beneficial to his long term development. The longer he’s able to stick around, the more he’ll become accustomed to the grind of a full 162 game season.

Angels lose Mike Trout to IL; Shohei Ohtani has tear in UCL

Angels general manager Perry Minasian revealed crushing injury news with regard to both players on Wednesday night after the conclusion of their doubleheader with the Cincinnati Reds.

Minasian revealed that Ohtani has a tear in his UCL that may or may not require surgery, but will keep him out as a pitcher for the remainder of the 2023 season. Mike Trout, unfortunately, felt discomfort in his left hand after taking swings and will likely miss the remainder of the year if things do not improve.

But given their status, both could be out for quite some time and could see their season’s come to an end.