Nothing went as planned for Ron Washington in his first season at the helm. Los Angeles Angels. 99 losses tells the story pretty well. That’s not to say there haven’t been victories. One of them was the development, particularly in terms of power, of 23-year-old shortstop Zach Neto.

Unfortunately, Neto (one of the ballclub’s most durable players through 2024) could begin his rehabilitation next season. According to Sam Blum of The Athletic, Neto underwent shoulder surgery to repair a problem that began following a slide late in the campaign. The club’s general manager, Perry Minasian, said this could jeopardize his availability for the start of the 2025 season.

This only worsens health problems. As it stands, the Halos are currently missing their top two home run-limiting starters and two of their four strongest on-base threats, according to Injury information from CBS Sports.

It’s been 40 days since the Angels’ season ended. The Los Angeles team chose to take a “wait and see” approach before proceeding with surgery. Neto saw his second year as a big league player end in the fourth inning on September 26 on the South Side of Chicago after a slide at second base, forcing him to miss the final series against the Texas Rangers.

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The Miami native was as reliable as could be for the terrible West Coast ball club throughout last season. Neto appeared in 155 games, second on the team behind outfielder Tyler Ward. He posted a 3.0 fWAR, good for sixth best among American League shortstops. His slugging percentage dropped from .377 to .443 as he hit 23 home runs – the most by a shortstop in a single season in franchise history. It was a record that had been waiting to be broken since 1970.

Add to that the fact that he has shown that clutch gene on numerous occasions. Neto’s .879 OPS marked the highest by an Angel in late/close games in 2024. And frankly, it’s not even close. He was a guy who gave Angel fans hope in a year that once again saw its two highest-paid players – Mike Trout and Anthony Rendon – miss significant time due to injuries .

We can’t stress enough how important Neto is to the Angels. Both with his arm and with his bat. If you’re in Los Angeles, you don’t want to rush it, but at the same time, you need to understand its importance to long-term success. What he did as the third-youngest player to join Washington in 2024 was hopefully just a glimpse of what his full potential looks like.

Jack López, the former 16th round pick of the Kansas City Royals, was the only other player to play shortstop for Los Angeles for more than five games under Washington. Another thing to note is the fact that the SoCal side addition of infielder Scott Kingery on November 1 from the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for cash. He represents another depth option in the absence of Neto, who spent all of last year at the Triple-A level. Kingery appeared in 106 games at short notice for the Lehigh Valley IronPigs in 2024 while racking up a team-leading 25 bombs.

The hope is that Neto’s rehabilitation goes as planned and he can pick up where he left off at the end of September. Otherwise, this could very well be a major setback for a club that hasn’t made the playoffs in a decade.