ANAHEIM, Calif. — Zach Neto, the shortstop for the Los Angeles Angels, is set to undergo examinations on his right shoulder, which recently underwent surgery. This follows his sudden departure from the game against the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday night due to a ninth-inning error.
Neto mishandled a ground ball hit by Romy Gonzalez and threw a wild ball over first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr.’s head, subsequently bending over in noticeable discomfort. Despite consulting with the team’s training staff, he decided to exit the game.
The Angels secured a 3-2 win thanks to Christian Moore’s 10th-inning home run. Neto later shared that he injured his shoulder while attempting a headfirst slide into second base during a failed stolen base effort in the eighth inning. “I wasn’t feeling good and probably should have taken myself out of the game,” he admitted. “Being the competitor I am, I tried to push through. Sometimes you need to step back, and that was the moment for me to do so. It’s feeling better now, not great, but we’ll see how it feels in the morning.”
Neto is expecting to have an MRI on Wednesday. Acting manager Ray Montgomery expressed that the decision to remove Neto was made to err on the side of caution, explaining, “When he made that throw, it didn’t sit well with us, so we decided it was best for him to come out of the game.”
Last September, Neto’s right shoulder was injured, necessitating surgery and causing him to miss the first few weeks of the current season. This year, he has been instrumental for the Angels, boasting a .278 batting average with 12 home runs, 29 RBIs, and an .820 OPS. “There’s a concern since it’s the same shoulder that was operated on, but I remain hopeful,” Neto remarked.
The Angels’ relief pitcher, Kenley Jansen, successfully navigated the difficulty sparked by Neto’s mistake, maintaining the score at 1-1. Although Boston’s Marcelo Mayer contributed a run in the 10th inning, Moore ultimately clinched the game with his second homer in just three innings.
Home Angels' Neto to undergo shoulder tests post-error