ANAHEIM — Zach Neto said he is going to sleep much better now, and perhaps he can dream about sliding feet first.
Neto hurt his right shoulder on a head-first slide on Tuesday, the same way he suffered the injury last September that led to offseason surgery. After an MRI exam on Wednesday morning showed no structural damage, Neto said he was both relieved and eager to find a way to avoid this happening again.
“I didn’t think anything of (sliding head first) after coming back from my surgery, but this kind of being a more recurring thing, it’s something I’m gonna have to start learning how to do, maybe sliding feet first,” Neto said.
In the meantime, he said after Wednesday’s game that his shoulder was “pretty sore.” Acting manager Ray Montgomery said Neto is day-to-day, but he stopped short of predicting that he’d be back in the lineup when the Angels return to action on Friday night.
With off days on Thursday and Monday, the Angels could conceivably give Neto six full days off – including Wednesday – while having him miss only four games. The Angels play three games this weekend against the Washington Nationals, before returning to action on Tuesday in Atlanta.
“The conscientious thing to do is to make sure,” Montgomery said. “We have a long season left to go, and we’ve got the All-Star break coming up. So let’s just be patient and smart and have him for the stretch. We’re a different team with him, and everybody knows that.”
Neto said he would have to test his arm with some drills before returning. He didn’t do any of that on Wednesday.
Last September, Neto got hurt on a head-first slide and was then considered day to day. The season had just a few days left, so he didn’t play again. He then spent about a month trying to rehab before relenting and having surgery. That ended up costing him the first three weeks of the regular season.
The Angels don’t want to go through that again.
“We definitely need him out there,” outfielder Jo Adell said. “He’s a spark plug for what we do in all phases of the game. And so we’re really excited that it’s not as bad as what it appeared to be right off the bat. Just get him back when it makes sense. He’ll be back in the mix, doing his thing. So we’re really excited about that.”
In the meantime, Scott Kingery was in the lineup as the starting shortstop for the series finale against the Boston Red Sox. Kyren Paris also took ground balls at shortstop Wednesday morning. Paris is on the roster while Kevin Newman is on the paternity list. Once Newman returns, he could also be a candidate to play shortstop.
MOVING UP
Without Neto at the top of the order, the Angels moved Nolan Schanuel from No. 2 to the leadoff spot and rookie Christian Moore into the No. 2 spot.
Moore was the hero of Tuesday’s game, hitting a game-tying homer in the eighth and a game-winning homer in the 10th, while hitting in the No. 9 spot.
“I think it’s a good opportunity for him to get some more AB’s,” Montgomery said of the lineup change. “He’s been doing everything we’ve asked of him since he’s been here, so I just thought it was a good time to give him a different look.”
Moore, 22, hit .194 with three home runs and a .731 OPS in his first 12 major league games.
STEPHENSON UPDATE
Right-handed reliever Robert Stephenson said he’s expecting to resume throwing Monday.
Stephenson is on the injured list with right biceps inflammation, which struck him in just his second game after completing his rehab from Tommy John surgery.
NOTES
Right-hander Sam Bachman has quickly risen up the Angels’ bullpen depth chart in less than two weeks in the majors. When Bachman was recalled June 13, it was to provide some multi-inning coverage. His first three games were when the Angels were losing or up by eight runs, but he entered Monday in a tie game and Tuesday down by a run in the eighth. “I’ve seen it, I’ve seen him in the in the single-inning role and come in and be pretty dominant,” Montgomery said. “So, for me, I think he’s just part of our ’pen like the other guys.” Bachman has allowed one run in six innings. …
Catcher Chad Wallach hit two grand slams for Triple-A Salt Lake on Tuesday night. Wallach recently re-signed a minor-league deal with the Angels after beginning the season in the Texas Rangers’ system.
UP NEXT
Nationals (RHP Jake Irvin, 6-3, 4.18 ERA) at Angels (RHP José Soriano, 5-5, 3.39 ERA), Friday, 6:38 p.m., FDSN West, 830 AM