Angels shortstop Zach Neto left Thursday’s 7-0 defeat against the Chicago White Sox due to irritation in his right shoulder.
Neto got hurt while trying to steal second base on a pitch in the dirt during the fourth inning after getting on base with a one-out infield single.
The 23-year-old Neto remained on the ground after being tagged out but was helped up and went back to the dugout.
“I’m not worried about it,” Neto said. “Of course it’s something I want to keep my eye on, but nothing that’s gonna keep me out for too long.”
After Neto left, Jack López moved from second base to shortstop, and Michael Stefanic came in to play second. López made a critical error during Chicago’s seven-run fifth inning.
Neto, a first-round pick in the 2022 draft, is hitting .249 with 23 home runs, 77 RBIs, and 30 steals in 155 games this season.
“Just shoulder soreness. He dove and his shoulder got a little soreness in it,” manager Ron Washington said. “And since he just did it, I’m not going to push him out there tomorrow, whether he can go or not. You’ve got to take care of him.”
Los Angeles also played without first baseman Nolan Schanuel in the final game of the series. Schanuel fouled a ball off his right leg during the first inning of Wednesday night’s 4-3 loss.
“He’s moving around better,” Washington said. “We’ll see where he is when we get back to Anaheim.”
