ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — An MRI test showed no structural damage in Zach Neto’s surgically repaired right shoulder and the Los Angeles Angels shortstop, who was injured on a head-first slide into second base Tuesday night, was listed as day-to-day.
“It’s a sigh of relief finding out nothing was structurally messed up,” Neto said after sitting out Wednesday’s . “It’s pretty sore right now, but it’s getting better.”
With the Angels off on Thursday and Monday, there is a chance Neto, 24, might sit out this weekend’s series against the Washington Nationals, giving him six days of rest and rehabilitation before Tuesday’s series opener in Atlanta.
But the Angels are confident they will not have to play too long without their dynamic leadoff man, who is batting .278 with an .814 OPS, 12 homers, 15 doubles and 29 RBIs and leads the team with 46 runs despite missing the first 18 games of the season.
“The conscientious thing to do is to make sure (he’s OK),” Angels acting manager Ray Montgomery said. “We have a long season left to go, and the All-Star break is coming up. Let’s be patient and smart and have him for the stretch run. We’re a different team with him. Everybody knows that.”
Neto injured the same shoulder last Sept. 26 when his right arm got caught underneath his chest on a head-first slide into second against the Chicago White Sox. He missed the final three games of the season and had surgery in November.
“I’m going to have to be more mindful of it now,” Neto said when asked if he will continue to slide head first. “I didn’t think anything of it coming back from surgery, but this kind of being more of a recurring thing, it’s something I’m going to have to start learning how to do, maybe sliding feet first.”
Has Neto ever slid feet first?
“Not many times,” he said. “I feel like the couple times I have gone in feet first, I’ve been thrown out by like 15 feet, which is why I don’t do it very often.”
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