LA Angels Injury Update: Zach Neto, Nolan Schanuel concerns

Evan Roberts

Los Angeles Angels v Minnesota Twins / Stephen Maturen/GettyImages

When it rains it pours, and pours, and pours some more.

Zach Neto exited the series finale against the Chicago White Sox with "right shoulder irritation" after sliding head-first into second base. The previous night, Nolan Schanuel suffered a "lower right leg contusion" after fouling a pitch off his shin. Schanuel exited the game and subsequently missed the series finale in Chicago.

Zach Neto leads the Angels in a multitude of statistical categories: fWAR, offensive fWAR, stolen bases, RBIs, and games played (to name a few). According to Baseball Savant, Neto's Batting Run Value ranked in the 87th percentile of major leaguers. The 23-year-old shortstop was amidst a breakout season, and was helping keep the Angels relevant and watchable following season-ending injuries to Mike Trout and Ben Joyce.

Schanuel is not exactly tearing it up at an elite rate, but he has shown signs of positive growth in his first full season. Schanuel's bat-to-ball skills are next-level, and he can reach base incredibly well due to his plate discipline and ability to spray the ball all over the field. Not a prototypical hitting first baseman, Schanuel relies more on OBP than SLG and, in an ideal world, he would leadoff the Angels lineup.

The Angels are one of the youngest teams in MLB, and Neto and Schanuel are two of the most integral pieces of the team moving forward. In order for the Angels to end of of the longest current playoff droughts in North American sports, they need players like Neto, Schanuel, Logan O'Hoppe, Mickey Moniak, José Soriano, and Ben Joyce on the field and turning into the best versions of themselves.

Ron Washington believes the Angels could make the postseason next season, and the youngsters need to be able to compliment the high-priced players in Mike Trout and Anthony Rendon over the course of a full season in order to do so. Neto and Schanuel's defense needs work, so hopefully Washington is able to help them both develop in that aspect of the game moving forward. Losing game reps in the field, even this late in the season, is not ideal in that respect.

Here's hoping that both players return to the lineup during the Angels' last series of the season against the Texas Rangers, as Neto and Schanuel have been staples of the Angels lineup. Angels fans are hoping that Neto and Schanuel usher in a new era for the organization, and to do so they need to have a normal offseason of baseball and weight training without any semblance of injury rehab.

Evan Roberts

Evan Roberts worked in professional baseball for 5 years, after pitching collegiately at Davidson College for 4. After graduating in 2018, he worked with the Boston Red Sox at their Pawtucket affiliate for the 2019 season as a Player Development Intern. He picked up with the Chicago White Sox in 2020, but after the Minor League season was canceled he worked with Team USA Baseball at their National Training Complex as a Trackman Stringer/Operator. From 2021-2023, he worked with the Los Angeles Angels as a Game Planning Strategist at their Arizona (ROK League), Salt Lake (AAA), Rocket City (AA) affiliates. He attended the Angels' last 2 Major League Spring Trainings. During Rookie Ball games, he coached 1st base and assisted the players & coaches in the dugout.