A week after the Angels dealt for a former World Series MVP, injury news popped up in regards to their young middle infielder.

Not much went according to plan for Ron Washington during his first season at the helm with the Los Angeles Angels. 99 losses tell the story pretty well. That doesn’t mean there weren’t wins. One of them was the development, especially in terms of his power, of 23-year-old shortstop Zach Neto.

Unfortunately, Neto (one of the ball club’s most durable players throughout 2024) may be starting next season rehabbing. According to Sam Blum of The Athletic, Neto underwent shoulder surgery to repair an issue that began following a slide late in the campaign. The club’s general manager Perry Minasian expressed that this could jeopardize his availability for the beginning of the 2025 season.

It only adds to the health problems. At this moment, the Halos currently lack their two best home-run-limiting starters and two of their four strongest on-base threats, per CBS Sports’ injury information.

It has been 40 days since the Angels’ season came to an end. The L.A. side opted to take a “wait and see” approach before going through with surgery. Neto saw his sophomore year as a big leaguer come to a close in the fourth inning on Sept. 26 in Southside of Chicago following a slide into second base, forcing him to miss the final series against the Texas Rangers.

Neto was a light in what was otherwise a dismal campaign for the Angels in 2024

The Miami native was as reliable as they come for the dreadful West Coast ball club throughout last season. Neto competed in 155 games, second on the team only to leftfielder Tyler Ward. He posted a 3.0 fWAR, good for sixth-best among American League shortstops. His slugging percentage jumped from .377 to .443 as he registered 23 homers — the most by a shortstop a single season in franchise history. It was a record that was waiting to be broken since 1970.

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

We cannot stress Neto’s importance to the Angels enough. Both with his arm and his bat. If you’re Los Angeles, you don’t want to rush him back but at the same time, you need to understand his importance to long-term success. What he did as the third youngest player to suit up for Washington’s team in 2024 was hopefully just a sneak peek into what his full potential looks like.

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

The hope is that Neto’s rehab goes according to plan and he can pick up right where he left off in late September. If not, this could very well be a major setback for a club that hasn’t made the postseason for a decade.