Zach

Neto

Neto hasn’t progressed to the point in his recovery from offseason shoulder surgery where he’s ready to play shortstop in rehab games, but that’ll presumably happen at some point in the near future. He’s expected to play everyday at DH without any limitations for now. He should be ready to make his season debut by the end of April.

It’s a welcome development for fantasy purposes since the expectation was that Neto wouldn’t be ready to get into minor-league rehab contests until later in April. The 24-year-old fantasy standout will likely need a couple weeks to ramp up, but he could be ready to make his season debut by mid-to-late April.

Neto is still working his way back from off-season shoulder surgery. His recovery has been going well, and the Angels have said that they think he could return at some point in April.

With Zach Neto (shoulder) sidelined at the outset of the year, and Yoán Moncada dealing with a thumb issue, there are multiple avenues for Anderson to break camp with the Angels in a starting role. The 31-year-old infielder might’ve hit rock bottom last year with the Marlins, but he’s shown a little bit of a spark this spring, batting .275 (11-for-40) with one homer and three steals. There could be some sneaky value here for fantasy managers in extremely deep mixed league and AL-only formats, at least for a few weeks until Neto is ready to make his season debut.

Baby steps. Neto has already been ruled out for Opening Day as he recovers from November shoulder surgery. Angels manager Ron Washington has said the 24-year-old shortstop should debut sometime in April and there’s no reason to adjust that timeline yet. Kevin Newman and Tim Anderson are the leaders in the clubhouse to fill in for the Angels at shortstop until Neto is ready. Neto is still the only Angels shortstop with fantasy value, though managers that select him will need a replacement for at least the first few weeks of the season.

Neto, 24, is still recovering from shoulder surgery he underwent back in November. The bad news is he won’t be ready for the start of the season, but Angels manager Ron Washington does believe the shortstop should be ready to roll at the start of April. Neto showed real flashes in 2024, and depending on league structure, he might be worth stashing on the injured list to begin 2025. Tim Anderson, Scott Kingery, Luis Rengifo and Kevin Newman are the candidates to play short while Neto is out.

Neto had shoulder surgery back in November, and the details of his recovery have been vague. Even now, the Angels have said he’s throwing sooner than they anticipated but GM Perry Minasian said “there is still no firm timetable for him.” While throwing is obviously a good sign, he’s not yet throwing at full speed. Neto will also need to strengthen his shoulder enough to swing and then have to get his timing back before the Angels will even put him into a game. He could still be out for multiple months at this point.

Neto didn’t elaborate on exactly what that good news was, but he did say he was still unsure of his status for Opening Day. Neto could be a bargain pick this spring if his shoulder proves sound; he’d be going far higher in drafts if not for the issues that led to his November surgery.

Blum noted that the Angels were planning to call up Moore in September last season before he suffered a meniscus injury. The 22-year-old, who was the eighth overall pick in last year’s draft, hit .347/.400/.584 in 25 minor league games last season with six home runs and two steals. With Anthony Rendon now transitioning to a bench role, the Angels could slot Luis Rengifo in at third base and let Moore battle Kevin Newman for the starting second base job. Moore’s chances of making the Opening Day roster may also be improved by shortstop Zach Neto (shoulder) likely starting the year on the IL. That would mean the Angels could play Newman at shortstop and give Moore the second base job. This will certainly be a situation to monitor this spring.

Well, the Angels certainly have a type. The 31-year-old Anderson saw his production fall off a cliff in 2023 and, unfortunately, 2024 was no better as he posted a .214/.237/.226 line in 241 plate appearances with the Marlins. After being a perennial .300 hitter with 15/15 upside, Anderson has not hit over .245 in either of the last two seasons and has just one home run and 17 steals in 765 plate appearances. With Zach Neto potentially starting the year on the IL as he recovers from off-season surgery, there is a chance for Anderson to earn a starting job for a few weeks, but he will need to show far more production than he has over the last two seasons.