Angels shortstop Zach Neto will begin a rehab assignment in Triple-A Salt Lake City, according to MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger.
Neto last played in early August before finally succumbing to a back injury. Neto has the potential to return to the team later this week, where he will likely resume everyday shortstop duties.
Neto, who has played 67 games of his rookie season thus far, has had a solid first year in the big leagues, batting .241 and hitting 30 RBI and 8 home runs.
Late last week, Angels manager Phil Nevin said that Neto had not experienced any setbacks since landing on the injured list and that he had been participating in all on-field activities except for hitting, though has been taking swings in an indoor batting cage.
The Angels promoted Neto straight from AA after just 44 games in the minor leagues. The Angels are 38-29 with Neto on the field and have gone 20-31 without their 2022 first-round pick.
Things have not gone well for the Angels, Neto or no Neto. At 64-73, the Angels' hopes of a postseason run are virtually gone as it would take an almost purposeful slide from the leading teams for the Angels to make it into the playoffs.
Regardless of the 2023 outcome, having Neto on the field to further evaluate the young star's potential and increase his experience level would be a nice consolation for an Angels team that is facing a plethora of existential questions come the offseason.
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