'He brings energy': Neto's return gives Angels needed boost

ANAHEIM -- After a grueling stretch that saw the Angels play 15 of their first 18 games on the road, they received a major boost on Friday with shortstop Zach Neto activated from the 10-day injured list.

Neto, making his return from right shoulder surgery in November, made an immediate impact in his 2025 debut, delivering an RBI double in his first at-bat, helping the Angels to a 2-0 win over the Giants at Angel Stadium. Neto also scored a run after an error from third baseman Matt Chapman and helped the Angels snap a four-game losing streak.

“It was great,” said lefty Tyler Anderson, who threw six scoreless frames to pick up the win. “We all love him, not only for stuff he does on the field, but he's just a fun guy to have in the locker room and keeps things light and has fun every day. And anytime someone comes back from an injury it’s always an emotional, happy thing, so I was super pumped having him back out there.”

Neto, who is recovering from right shoulder surgery he underwent last November, played back-to-back games at shortstop with Triple-A Salt Lake on Tuesday and Wednesday, which was considered a major step for him. He had the day off on Thursday and made his season debut on Friday, batting seventh and starting at short.

“It's awesome,” Neto said. “It's probably the closest thing to my debut, getting that call. Just coming here, kind of where it all started again. So I'm excited to be back and get to work and be with the guys again.”

Neto, 24, played 13 games at Salt Lake as part of his rehab assignment, hitting .286/.397/.592 with four homers, three doubles and eight RBIs. He was the Angels’ best player in 2024, slashing .249/.318/.443 with 23 homers, 30 stolen bases and 77 RBIs in 155 games before injuring the shoulder on a slide into second base on a stolen-base attempt late in the season. He led the club with 5.1 Wins Above Replacement, per Baseball Reference.

“It’s tremendous,” manager Ron Washington said. “He’s champing at the bit to play. We want him to play. We’ve missed him. And now he’s back. I told him when he went out there, I said, ‘If there’s a play that you don’t make, you’re going back to Salt Lake City. He just said, ‘I ain’t worried about that.’”

Washington and Neto have a special relationship, as the two often spend most of the game together in the dugout. Neto is 48 years younger than Washington, but he isn’t afraid to chirp back and forth with his manager.

“Me and him have that relationship where I see him as a father figure,” Neto said. “And it's just learning moments every time we talk. Like when I first got out here, and he was sitting right here [on the bench], and I was like, ‘Man, I came here to work. Not sit on your [butt]. It's fun just having that relationship with him. And when it's time to get serious, we get serious about the game.”

With Neto back, Nicky Lopez was designated for assignment. It also means less playing time for Tim Anderson and Kevin Newman, with Neto taking over at short.

Angels shortstops combined to hit just .150/.177/.167 with a double and three RBIs through the club's first 18 games, so getting back Neto will be huge for the lineup. Kyren Paris has taken over as the starting second baseman with Luis Rengifo at third.

“He brings energy,” Washington said of Neto. “He brings gamesmanship. He plays with a chip on his shoulder. And the last time I talked to him when he was in Salt Lake City, I told him, ‘These are the things you have to do down there,’ and he really started playing well down there.”

Even without Neto, the Angels have gotten off to a solid start despite becoming the first team since the 1957 Cubs to open with 15 road games out of their first 18 games. And Neto said it didn’t come as a surprise to him.

“It's awesome,” Neto said. “Talking to the guys almost every day, the coaches, just kind of hearing the vibe and just just how calm and composed they are. It's pretty special what we got going here. And like I said, for me, it wasn't a shock, but to everybody [outside this clubhouse], it's a shock. We're just trying to keep proving people wrong and keep it within ourselves.”

Neto, though, said he’s not putting any extra pressure on himself, even though the Angels entered Friday on a four-game losing streak after being swept by the Rangers in three games.

“I'm not the savior,” Neto said. “I'm just here to do my job. Try to help this team do everything we can to win. We’ve got a lot of good guys on this team. And, everybody has a bad road trip. Unfortunately, it was our turn. So we're just here to come back in the homestand, kind of get back on the winning side of it. And keep everything rolling.”