Neto (shoulder) day to day after MRI reveals no structural damage

ANAHEIM -- Angels shortstop Zach Neto underwent an MRI exam on his right shoulder before Wednesday’s 5-2 win over the Red Sox and it revealed no structural damage. He’s considered day to day, which is good news for the Angels and Neto.

Neto, who underwent surgery on his right shoulder in November, jammed his shoulder on a stolen-base attempt in the eighth inning of Tuesday's 3-2 win in 10 innings. He remained in the game but exited in the ninth after making an error, as he bobbled the ball and his throw awkwardly sailed over first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr.’s head.

Neto will be evaluated further before Friday’s series opener against the Nationals. There’s a chance he could still be held out of action in the series as a precaution, especially with off-days on Thursday and Monday.

“It’s a sigh of relief,” Neto said. “Finding out that nothing was structurally messed up was definitely a good way to come into the field today. I was available today if anything were to happen. But it’s something that we're going to take day to day and just kind of just see where I'm at. It's pretty sore right now, but it's getting better.”

He admitted on Tuesday he should’ve left the game after the slide at second base, but wanted to be there for his teammates. He also said it’s just instinct to slide headfirst into second, but will consider sliding feet-first more often going forward.

“I jammed my shoulder and I just wasn't feeling great,” Neto said. “I should have taken myself out of the game, but being the competitor that I am, I wanted to try to gut it out. There's a time and place to be a hero, and there's time and place to get out of the game. And that was probably the time to get out of the game.”

Neto has dealt with some soreness in his surgically repaired shoulder this season, but this was the first time he aggravated it. He originally injured it last year on a headfirst slide attempt at second base in Chicago on Sept. 26 before undergoing offseason surgery.

“I’m going to have to make sure everything feels good before I put myself out there,” Neto said. “Before the game, I’ll have to take BP and field some ground balls.”

Neto led the club in wins above replacement last year and is again the club's best player this season. The 24-year-old has hit .278/.321/.494 with 12 homers, 15 doubles, 13 stolen bases and 29 RBIs in 61 games. He’s also solidified the top spot in the order, as he’s hit six leadoff homers, which is just one off the club record set by Brian Downing in 1987.

Scott Kingery replaced Neto on Tuesday and was back in there on Wednesday, while veteran Kevin Newman is away from the club on the paternity list. Newman, though, is expected to return on Friday for the start of the club’s three-game series against the Nationals.

First baseman Nolan Schanuel also took over the leadoff spot in Neto’s absence in the series finale against Boston. Schanuel had been serving as the club’s No. 2 hitter, but did serve as the club’s leadoff hitter 70 times last year and 28 times as a rookie in 2023.

Second baseman Christian Moore, who was the hero in Tuesday’s victory with a game-tying solo homer in the eighth and a game-winning two-run homer in the 10th, moved up to the No. 2 spot in the lineup for the first time in his career.

“It has nothing to do with last night,” acting manager Ray Montgomery said with a wry smile. “But listen, I just think it’s a good opportunity for him to get more ABs. He’s done everything we’ve asked him to do. I think the biggest thing is he’s not overwhelmed by the moment.”