Neto (left hand) shut down for rest of '25; O'Hoppe returns from IL

MILWAUKEE -- After being away from the team the last two games to attend his father-in-law’s funeral, Ray Montgomery returned to a familiar place at American Family Field, as he worked as a scout and scouting director in two stints with the Brewers from 2002-06 and 2014-20.

But unfortunately for the Angels another familiar theme also popped up on Tuesday, as shortstop Zach Neto was placed on the 10-day injured list with a left hand strain and will miss the rest of the season. Neto was again the club’s best player this year, leading them in Wins Above Replacement for a second straight year with 5.0 WAR in 128 games this season, according to baseball-reference.com. Carter Kieboom had his contract selected from Triple-A Salt Lake to take his place on the roster.

“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, 24, initially injured his hand when he was hit by a pitch from Reds right-hander Nick Martinez on Aug. 20 and aggravated it on a swing in Seattle on Thursday. He was held out of the lineup from Friday through Sunday and went back to Southern California to undergo testing that revealed the strain. He finishes his season batting .257/.319/.474 with 26 homers, 29 doubles, 26 stolen bases and 62 RBIs in 128 games while setting the club record for leadoff homers in a season.

With Neto out, it’ll give an opportunity for Denzer Guzman to be the club’s regular shortstop down the stretch. Guzman, ranked as the club’s No. 9 prospect by MLB Pipeline, made his debut on Saturday and picked up his first two career hits on Sunday. The 21-year-old started again at short in the series opener against the Brewers and made the most of it by hitting his first career homer off right-hander Freddy Peralta in the fifth inning of Tuesday’s 9-2 loss.

“I feel very happy because I hit it off one of their best pitchers,” Guzman said through interpreter Manny Del Campo. “I feel great. In the first few moments, I felt a little bit nervous, but now I feel comfortable. I want to take advantage of every opportunity they give me.”

“I felt bad not being here when he got the call,” Montgomery said. “Obviously, he's earned it. I told him, ‘You’re going to play.’ It's exciting anytime you can bring up a young, talented player like that at his age. The biggest message for him is, just play your game. Don't try to do anything to prove your worth or prove that you belong here. You belong here. You're here.”

It wasn’t all bad news for the Angels, however, as catcher Logan O’Hoppe was reinstated from the 7-day concussion list and first baseman Nolan Schanuel will start a rehab assignment with Triple-A Salt Lake on Wednesday. O’Hoppe sustained a concussion on a freak play on Sept. 7, when A’s shortstop Jacob Wilson accidentally hit him under the chin on a warm-up swing. O’Hoppe was excited to be back in the lineup and hitting fifth after missing the minimum amount of time and said he talked with Wilson and there was no intent.

“It feels really good,” said O’Hoppe, who went 0-for-4 in his return. “Thought it was time that I needed, for sure, but everything went exactly according to plan, and I feel really good today."

It was also a special day for O’Hoppe because he was named the club’s nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award for the first time in his career. O’Hoppe often visits local children’s hospitals and had patients from Miller Children's & Women's Hospital Long Beach sign his chest protector and wore it during Players Weekend from Aug. 15-17. O’Hoppe is familiar with what families are going through, as his father, Michael, had a bout with Stage 4 Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma (ALCL), a rare and aggressive form of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, before going into remission in 2022.

“It’s a huge honor,” O’Hoppe said. “Something that I’ve seen a lot of guys do in the past, and it’s pretty humbling thing to see. So [it was a] pretty cool moment. I'm a big believer that God put me on this planet and gave me baseball as the vehicle to spread good to other people.”