Zach Neto injury update just changed the mood around Angels camp

If there's one player on the entire Los Angeles Angels roster that the team can ill-afford to lose heading into Opening Day, it's Zach Neto. Given the shortstop's significance to the team's success this season, it's easy to understand why fans throughout the city of Anaheim collectively held their breath after Neto's early exit from Saturday's spring game against the Seattle Mariners.

Neto suffered a wrist injury over the weekend after sliding headfirst into home plate during the bottom of the sixth inning. Mariners' left fielder Josh Hood threw a strike to the cut-off man, who gunned down Neto at the plate. The Angels infielder was seen grimacing in pain and grabbing at his left wrist after the play.

Angels fans relieved after Zach Neto injury deemed not serious

Thankfully, Neto's injury is nothing more than a small sprain, and the Angels shortstop expects to be back in the starting lineup sometime later this week. Neto told Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register that he was sore the day after making that head-first slide into home plate and considers himself fortunate that the injury was minor in nature.

Though some Angels fans may argue for Mike Trout, Neto is the most indispensable player in the organization. He's the table setter for LA's offense, an elite-level defender at one of the most demanding positions, and is under team control for the next four seasons. Neto is quickly becoming the new face of the franchise.

The Angels have virtually no margin for error if Neto misses any amount of time this season. Los Angeles has no depth to speak of behind Neto at shortstop, with Denzer Guzman and Oswald Peraza being the only players capable of logging meaningful reps at the position. Neither is an ideal replacement if Neto is out of the lineup for any amount of time.

If Neto's injury was more severe, it'd have been difficult to offer much solace to a fanbase that's already dreading the upcoming season. Most of the predictions for the 2026 Angels are already filled with gloom and doom, and losing their best player would've sealed their fate before the season even began. For now, that's no longer a concern.