Zach Neto collects two hits, steals base in win

There aren’t any rumblings of the dynamic shortstop dealing with any sort of injury, so it’s just a night of rest for Neto. Denzer Guzman will start in his place at shortstop and will bat sixth against Rangers’ star right-hander Jacob deGrom.

Neto, mentioned as a potential trade-deadline prize, wound up not moving and was dropped down to the cleanup spot today. That part is not great news for his fantasy value, but it’s not like you’re dropping Neto. Hopefully this can spark him a bit as over his last 15 games this is his only homer and he’s hitting just .197/.258/.295 over that timespan.

The revelation comes as a bit of a surprise as the Angels appear to be more willing to move on from someone like Neto, who was viewed as one of their more long-term building blocks. There are plenty of teams that could use a shortstop, which is probably why Los Angeles interim general manager John Mozeliak is going to entertain overtures. It doesn’t sound like anything is imminent, but the Angels could be headed for more of a full-scale teardown than many anticipated.

Expressing an interest and being willing to meet the likely high asking prices are two separate things, but it’s interesting to note that the Rays are looking to be aggressive, especially when it comes to pitching. According to Murray, any additional starter the Rays bring in wouldn’t necessarily mean Griffin Jax or Ian Seymour are out of the rotation. Instead, the Rays are looking for pitching depth to help offset innings and injury concerns surrounding Shane McClanahan and Drew Rasmussen. The team could decide to use a six man rotation or occasionally skip starts in order to keep those guys healthy for the playoffs. Considering Peralta is a free agent at the end of the season, he would be the most likely target of the trio.

That may not seem like a lot, but Passan notes that it’s a major change from previous trade deadlines. Neto is under team control for three more seasons, so trading him could net the Angels a haul of prospects to help expedite a rebuild and fill out a depleted organization with young talent. A few teams, including the Red Sox, Braves and Yankees, have already reached out to the Angels.

Neto led off the game with a single on an 0-2 pitch from Troy Melton. He then scampered home on a fielder’s choice off the bat of Josh Lowe, which wound up being the lone tally for either team until the ninth inning. Neto was also thrown out trying to steal in the ballgame. With his two-hit attack, the 25-year-old shortstop is now hitting .237/.328/.453 with 19 homers, 45 RBI and 12 stolen bases (in 21 attempts) on the season.

Neto hit the first homer allowed by Aroldis Chapman this season, sending a 96.5-mph fastball 396 feet to left. It was his 19th homer, which is second behind Colson Montgomery at 23 among those who primarily play shortstop. He’s hit nine in his last 27 games.

The Angels could not break through against Bryan Woo as they were held scoreless through six innings. The team finally put some runs on the board in the seventh, including a two-run single by Zach Neto to drive in two of the team’s three runs in their defeat to the Mariners. The 25-year-old shortstop is hitting .227/.322/.453 with 18 homers, 59 runs scored, 42 RBI, and 11 steals across 379 plate appearances.

Neto is up to 18 homers, though as a leadoff man for a team with a weak bottom of the order, he’s knocked in only 40 runs. Of course, his own .226 average isn’t really helping there, either. He does have 40 walks in 83 games, however. Tonight’s moved him past his previous high of 39 in 155 games in 2024.

Neto led off the bottom of the first inning with a base hit and scored on a home run by Nolan Schanuel. He later doubled in the fifth and scored for a second time on a base hit. The 25-year-old shortstop has struggled to hit for a good average, batting .229 over 357 plate appearances, but continues to contribute elsewhere across the board with 17 homers, 56 runs scored, 39 RBI, and 11 steals.