ANAHEIM, Calif. -- After missing the first three weeks of the season due to offseason shoulder surgery, Zach Neto is set to make his season debut on Friday night for the Angels as they take on the San Francisco Giants.
Neto will be hitting seventh in the Angels lineup and is starting at shortstop. In a corresponding move, Nicky Lopez was designated for assignment.
As he looks ahead to making his debut, he compared it to the moment he was called up to the majors in 2023.
"It’s probably the closest thing to my debut and getting that call. Just coming here and just kind of where it all started again," Neto said. "You know I’m excited to be back and get to work with the guys again.”
For Neto to complete his rehab assignment, a few things needed to happen. His throwing arm needed to feel healthy, and he needed to play a full nine innings for two consecutive days. He said he felt great and he completed 9 innings for two consecutive days on Tuesday and Wednesday this week.
"I gave (Ron Washington) the call that ‘Hey I’m starting to feel pretty good’ and it was just a matter of time, and he just wanted me to play it safe," Neto said. "...I had to play those back-to-back final nines, which was the final box I needed to check for myself, and I was ready to go.”
While being down in Salt Lake City, Neto's bat would tell you he was ready to go after the teams first six games hitting two home runs and logging two doubles.
During his rehab, he played in 13 games and had a total of 49 at-bats logging an OPS of .966 with 4 home runs.
Neto said that during the process of his rehab, he did not notice any discomfort in his arm and overcame a mental wall in the Bees first game of the season during a road game in Albuquerque, where he had to throw the ball to home did not feel any pain.
After coming off a 23-homerun season with a .761 OPS and 30 stolen bases, Neto said that his focus this season is making sure he is healthy and plays every game as healthy as possible.
"I'm not looking forward to the stats right now. I'm just making sure that I come back and play every game as healthy as possible. Whenever my name is in the lineup, just trying to produce," Neto said. "This team we're not built on individual stats, we're built on what we can do as a team that makes sure we win that game that day."
With the Angels getting Neto back in the lineup, manager Ron Washington expects him to be fully healthy on the field and to play with energy and a chip on his shoulder.
"He brings the energy, he brings gamesmanship, he plays with a chip on his shoulder.
With Neto back in the infield, the Angels will feature four players under the age of 25 as he will be joined by Nolan Schanuel, Logan O'Hoppe, and Kyren Paris, who has been off to a hot start to the season, logging a .326 batting average with a 1.143 OPS and 5 home runs.
"When he made his debut, I was fortunate enough to play shortstop when he was at second, and it was there. The talent, it was their," Neto said. "Finally to be able to see him come around and have the start he's having and just being as poised as possible, I think it shows a true testament in character of who he is and how he is as a teammate.
Right now, the Angels are coming off a nine-game road trip where they went 3-6, losing their last four straight.
With Neto coming back to the lineup, it will give the team a boost that they desperately need after being outscored 23-8 over their last six games.
Over their last seven games, the Angels have a team average of .200, just ahead of the Royals, Rockies, Astros and White Sox.
The Angels have played 15 of their first 18 games of the season on the road and won their first four series of the season. Which could lead to a fatigued roster.
Washington, however, would say otherwise and went ahead and credited the Rangers' pitching staff by saying they "Shoved it." against his team.
"Gotta give them credit. They pitched well against us," Washington said. "Energy. And the season just started. We still in April. Matter of fact, we just got to the middle of April, right? If you're tired right now, then you're in the wrong business."