LSU baseball catcher Brady Neal aggravated a shoulder injury before Saturday's game against Missouri, coach Jay Johnson said Monday.
Neal, who has been dealing with shoulder soreness, unintentionally made the injury worse while going through therapy. He entered the game as a pinch hitter on Saturday but was unavailable to play Sunday, Johnson said.
"When you're talking about swinging the bat, that can be, you know, difficult," Johnson said. "But he's strong for his size. And obviously we saw with the back thing he was able to recover to get past that.
"So, I don't think that (this shoulder soreness) is a long term thing at all, but we're reevaluating that today."
Neal's injury was part of the reason behind why Alex Milazzo earned two starts behind the plate this past weekend. Milazzo went 1 for 4 with two runs scored against Missouri and played well defensively.
"He's a great catcher but that was his best game (Sunday) that I remember here," Johnson said.
Shores unlikely to pitch in 2024 season
When asked about the possibility of right-hander Chase Shores returning to pitch from Tommy John surgery this season, Johnson said on Monday, "that would surprise me."
"I had a good meeting with him last night when we returned home of just where we're at," Johnson said. "(He) threw a good bullpen up there at Missouri.
"It doesn't feel like it's gonna be what's best for him to get him back (this year)."
A month ago, Johnson said that LSU toyed with the idea of bringing him back this season by having him throw just one or two pitches in games instead of allowing him to throw his entire arsenal of pitches but decided against it.
"But then you have to look at the back half of what the rehab looks like. Does that slow down his rehab? Well, I think we all know what the ceiling and talent level of that young man is," Johnson said. "And what we need for him to do in 2025 is you know, throw more than two innings a week.
"He is progressing great. I just don't know that it's in his best interest to do that."
Shores has been sidelined since last April when he underwent his surgery. He posted a 1.96 ERA in 18⅓ innings last season as a freshman.