The Angels receive best possible news regarding their star shortstop's shoulder

No one would blame an Angels fan who is on pins and needles waiting for an update on Zach Neto. The Angels' cornerstone player was removed from their game on Tuesday after tweaking his right shoulder -- which he had surgery on this offseason -- after a hard slide into second base. He stayed in the game, fielded a ground ball and lofted an awkward, weak throw over Lamonte Wade Jr.'s head before he saw himself out. Fans have been waiting with bated breath on Neto's MRI results, and the updates are here.

The Angels receive the best possible news regarding their star shortstop's shoulder

Jeff Fletcher of The OC Register reported that Neto's MRI results showed no structural damage. Neto is dealing with soreness and the organization will likely proceed with extreme caution to avoid re-injury.

“The conscientious thing to do is to make sure,” Montgomery said in front of Fletcher. “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.”

The Angels have off-days on both Thursday and Monday, and they could keep Neto fresh heading into their series against Atlanta next week. He was out of the lineup today against Boston, so Neto could have six full days of recovery to get himself fully 100% before playing again. Keeping Neto out might not help his chances of making the American League All-Star team, but it is undoubtedly the right move for his career and the 40-40 Angels' hopes of making the playoffs.

Neto might need to ditch the head-first slides for good. He needed surgery on his right shoulder after the exact same type of play last season. Part of what makes Neto so good is his athleticism on the base paths, and sliding feet first might take away from his dynamism a bit. However, he needs to do whatever he can to stop injuring his shoulder. His arm strength when throwing across the diamond is already down -- last season he averaged 87.9 MPH on his throws and this season his velocity is down to 84.6 MPH.

Luckily, Neto's shoulder surgery has not affected his hitting whatsoever and he is in the middle of a career year at the plate. Given how positive the updates on his shoulder are, Neto should be able to pick right back up where he left off whenever he does get pencilled back into the leadoff spot of the Angels' batting order.

More LA Angels News from Halo Hangout