MILWAUKEE, WIS. – The Angels have been plagued by injuries as the 2025 season comes to a close. The Angels have 15 players on the injured list and this past week has seen the loss of one of the biggest contributors to the Los Angeles lineup in 2025.

Shortstop Zach Neto, the Angels leader in WAR this season and a cornerstone of the team’s young offensive core, will miss the rest of the season after being placed on the 10-Day IL with a left hand strain. 

The injury stems from long lasting complications after Neto was hit on the hand by a pitch on August 20, and he has recently reragravated the injury. The loss of Neto is a major blow to the Angels and with his both his absence and that of first baseman Nolan Schanuel, who has missed time due to a bone bruise in his wrist, the Angels infield is left seriously depleted.

That is where Denzer Guzmán comes in. The 21-year-old shortstop from the Dominican Republic was called up on Sep. 13 and made his major league debut against the Seattle Mariners that same day to replace Neto. Guzman went hitless in three plate appearances in his debut, but knocked in his first and second career hits the next game in Seattle. 

In Tuesday’s matchup against the Brewers, Guzmán collected another first for his young career. 

With one out in the top of the fifth, Guzmán got a hold of a four-seam fastball at the top of the zone from Brewer’s pitcher Freddy Peralta and sent it a long way to dead center field and just over the wall for his first career home run in just his third game with the Angels to put Los Angeles on the board 5-1. 

“I kids gave us good AB’s… obviously, Guzy getting his first home run was good to see,” Angels interim manager Ray Montgomery said (via FanDuel Sports Network West). 

Guzman signed with the Angels in 2021 as an international prospect for a total of $2 million, the fifth-most ever by an Angels international signee. Guzman began his 2025 season in Double-A with the Rocket City Trash Pandas before being promoted to Triple-A Salt Lake and across both levels this year Guzmán recorded a .769 OPS and 119 WRC+. 

Denzer Guzman was Angels first big-dollar splash internationally for about a decade after the Dipoto/Baldoquin debacle — Guzman signed for $2M, the fifth most by an Angels int’l signee behind Baldoquin, Joswa Lugo, Kevin Maitan and some dude named Shohei pic.twitter.com/AP0Dwqkm0g

— Taylor Blake Ward (@TaylorBlakeWard) September 14, 2025

Guzmán’s first career blast was one of few highlights for the Angels in Tuesday’s 9-2 loss to the Brewers. The Angels’ two runs came courtesy of solo home runs, one from Guzmán and the other from an emerging young Angels infielder, second baseman Christian Moore.

The Angels are officially out of playoff contention and the season has just a handful of games remaining. For now, the Angels look toward the future, and with players like Guzmán in the system, that future could be bright.