Zach Neto Avoids Structural Shoulder Damage
A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) exam has revealed that there is no structural damage to Zach Neto’s right shoulder, which was previously operated on. The Los Angeles Angels shortstop was injured on Tuesday night while diving headfirst into second base. His status is day-to-day. It’s a relief to know there’s no structural damage. Neto, who did not participate in Wednesday’s 5-2 victory against the Boston Red Sox, commented that although he feels quite a bit of pain, he is improving. With the team having days off on Thursday and Monday, there is a possibility that Neto, 24, will miss this weekend’s series against the Washington Nationals. This would give him six days of rest and rehabilitation before the start of Tuesday’s series in Atlanta. The Angels are confident they won’t have to play long without their dynamic hitter, who is batting .278 with an OPS of .814, 12 home runs, 15 doubles, and 29 RBIs. In addition, he leads the team with 46 runs scored, despite missing the first 18 games of the season.Neto injured the same shoulder on September 26th when his right arm got trapped under his chest while diving headfirst towards second base against the Chicago White Sox. He missed the last three games of the season and underwent surgery in November. “I’ll have to be more careful now,” Neto said when asked if he will continue sliding headfirst. “I didn’t think about anything when returning from surgery, but this is something recurring, it’s something I’ll have to start learning to do, maybe sliding feet first.”The most sensible thing is to make sure he’s okay. We have a long season ahead, and the All-Star break is near. Let’s be patient and smart and count on him for the final stretch. We are a different team with him. Everyone knows it.
Ray Montgomery, interim manager of the Angels
Has Neto ever slid feet first?
“Not very often,” he replied. “I feel like the few times I’ve done it standing up first, I’ve been taken out about 15 feet, so I don’t do it very often.”
