Zach

Neto

Neto’s lone hit of the contest was a 101.3 mph laser beam to left field that would’ve brought home a pair of runs had Adam Frazier not been cut down at the dish on the play. The 25-year-old shortstop, who is coming off a 26-homer, 26-steal season in just 128 games last year, has been a late-second or early-third round pick in NFBC fantasy drafts since the start of February.

That’s the first homer of the spring for Neto after the 25-year-old hit 26 of them in the 2025 regular season. Neto likely would have been a 30/30 player if not for injuries, and he seems a good bet to reach those marks in 2026 as long as he stays on the field.

Neto’s two hits carried exit velocities of 101.7 mph and 95.5 mph, respectively, per Statcast. The 25-year-old former top prospec will be a second or third-round pick in fantasy drafts this spring on the heels of last year’s 26-homer, 26-steal campaign, which he accomplished in just 128 contests. He possesses 30-homer, 30-steal upside, if he manages to stay healthy for anything close to a full season.

Neto got off to a late start to the season due to injury and then ended the year with a hand strain; however, he was tremendous when he was healthy. He hit a career-high 26 home runs and swiped 26 bases while slashing .257/.319/.474 in 128 games. The 24-year-old will be one of the top fantasy baseball options at shortstop if he comes into spring training healthy.

The move ostensibly ends Neto’s season as he heads to the shelf for some extra time to rest and recover after missing three consecutive games last week with a lingering left hand issue. The 24-year-old power/speed fantasy contributor has put together a phenomenal age-24 campaign, smashing a career-high 26 round-trippers and also chipping in 26 thefts over just 128 contests. The hope here for the Angels and fantasy managers is that he won’t require surgery heading into the offseason. It’ll be rookie Denzer Guzman taking over at shortstop to close out the regular season.

Neto continues to deal with lingering left wrist soreness and it’s impossible to rule out the possibility of a trip to the injured list at this juncture. The 24-year-old fantasy standout hasn’t undergone any additional imaging to determine the severity of the issue yet. It’ll be rookie Denzer Guzman making his second consecutive start at shortstop in his absence. There should be some much-needed clarity on his status prior to Tuesday’s series opener against the Brewers.

It’s the second straight game that Neto has missed due to soreness in his left wrist. He is considered day-to-day and is expected to be available off the bench in this one. Denzer Guzman will start in his place at shortstop and bat seventh against Bryan Woo and the M’s.

Neto is dealing with the lingering aftereffects of being hit by a pitch nearly three weeks ago as his left wrist continues to be an issue. There’s zero reason for the Angels to jeopardize their 24-year-old franchise cornerstone’s long-term future, so it wouldn’t be surprising if he received a couple additional days off to put the issue to bed.

It sounds like Neto may have injured his hand on a swing during Thursday’s ballgame, though we have yet to hear anything official from the Angels. He should be considered day-to-day for the time being. Oswald Peraza will start in his place at shortstop and will bat sixth for the Halos against Luis Castillo and the M’s on Friday evening in Seattle.

Neto just missed a second homer in the sixth, with James Outman catching the ball at the very top of the wall in center. With 26, Neto is tied with Francisco Lindor for second in homers among shortstops. Willy Adames leads the way at 28. If Neto can join Jo Adell and Taylor Ward at 30, the Angels will have three players reach that mark for just the third time in franchise history. Garret Anderson, Troy Glaus, Tim Salmon and Mo Vaughn did it in 2000, and Albert Pujols, Mike Trout and Mark Trumbo pulled it off in 2012.