Neto undergoes right shoulder surgery, may miss Opening Day

ANAHEIM -- Shortstop Zach Neto underwent right shoulder surgery on Wednesday and could miss the start of the season, general manager Perry Minasian said Friday.

Neto injured himself on a slide into second base against the White Sox on Sept. 26 and missed the final three games of the season. He tried to rehab it for three weeks after the season ended but ultimately required an operation to fix his shoulder. It’s a big blow for the Angels, as Neto is coming off a breakout season, slashing .249/.318/.443 with 23 homers, 34 doubles, 30 stolen bases and 77 RBIs in 155 games.

“He had a surgery a couple days ago and I’m not one for timeframes, but he could miss the start of the season,” Minasian said. “We’ll see where that goes. But he did have the surgery on the shoulder. I can’t get into details. But he will miss some time. And how much time, we’ll see.”

The Angels and Neto were hopeful that he’d be able to avoid surgery but Neto’s shoulder didn’t respond to the rehab and treatment. They decided it would be best to get out of the way now, even if it means he could miss Spring Training and the start of the 2025 season.

“You discuss it with the player and the rehab route was the route that was chosen,” Minasian said. “That's something that we talked about. As that process went along, he still felt it. It was something we felt like, let's jump ahead of it and let's make sure. He’s obviously very important to us. So he'll have the surgery and we'll see when he comes back.”

Minasian said the injury doesn’t change too much with his approach to the offseason, as they were always looking to improve their infield depth. They’re still in the market for infield help after trading for Scott Kingery and claiming Ryan Noda on waivers. Luis Rengifo is also an internal option to see some time at shortstop if Neto misses time.

“Depth is going to be important this winter anyway, we knew that,” Minasian said. “Obviously, Zach's really important to this club. It’s something we were proactive with. But depth is something we talk about all the time.”

Minasian said Kingery is also a player who could fill in for Neto, if necessary, as he was added to the 40-man roster on Monday. He’s a former top prospect who can play multiple positions, including shortstop, and is coming off a year at Triple-A that saw him hit 25 homers and steal 25 bases.

“We made a move for Kingery, and I know it's not a big-time name or might not be perceived as a huge move,” Minasian said. “But for us, his ability to play shortstop, center or field, move around the diamond, his production in Triple-A, his ability to run the bases, his ability to defend, was really, really intriguing to us, and part of building depth.”