Zach Neto Delivers 2-Run Homer After Move to No. 6
Zach Neto responded after Los Angeles Angels manager Kurt Suzuki moved him out of the leadoff spot and into the No. 6 hole, hitting a two-run homer in the series finale against the Cleveland Guardians. The 25-year-old shortstop also posted his first multi-hit effort in over a week as the Angels were swept.
Neto at No. 6
Suzuki said the move was meant to “take pressure off” Neto. The shift gave the Angels a different look in the order, and it produced an immediate power response from a hitter who had been trying to break out of a tough stretch.
Neto entered the game with a.224/.330/.408 batting line heading into Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Over his previous 15 games, he had gone 11-for-59, a run that had pulled down his overall production even though his 107 wRC+ still showed some baseline value.
Angels Need More From Neto
The swing from Neto was the cleanest sign yet that the Angels may be trying to manage the shortstop’s approach as much as his spot in the order. He had a career-best 12.8% walk rate, but his chase, whiff and strikeout rates all sat above 30%, a mix that points to both selectivity and swing-and-miss issues.
His numbers against right-handed pitchers showed the same split. When he did not have the platoon advantage, Neto was hitting.208 with a 33.1% strikeout rate this season, after the article said he had appeared to solve right-handers earlier in 2025 before slipping back toward old habits.
Spring Training Wrist Hit
The backdrop to all of it started in spring training, when Neto suffered a wrist injury the Angels described at the time as a minor scrape. His bat speed has dropped by 1.3 miles per hour from last year to 70.1 mph this season, another sign that the club is still looking for a more durable fix than a simple lineup shuffle.
For now, the move to No. 6 gave Neto a cleaner spot and produced one loud answer. The Angels still left Cleveland swept, which keeps the pressure on Suzuki to find a longer-term solution that does more than just move Neto down a few spots.
