Boston Red Sox outfielder Tyler O'Neill's poor injury luck during his time with the St. Louis Cardinals has followed him to the Red Sox in 2024.
O'Neill has missed time this season, his first in Boston, due to stitches in his head, a knee injury, a leg infection and now finger inflammation that led to the 29-year-old being scratched from Friday's lineup.
Before Saturday's meeting between the Red Sox and Arizona Diamondbacks, the second of the series, manager Alex Cora spoke about O'Neill's situation.
“Not ready for today," Cora said (via. Christopher Smith). "We’re shooting for tomorrow. Feeling better. He’ll hit during the game to see how it goes but most likely he’ll play tomorrow.”
Cora also clarified that O'Neill hurt his finger in batting practice before Friday's game, saying “He just felt it on his swing."
When O'Neill has been on the field, he's been solid, hitting .262 with an .875 OPS, 22 home runs, 46 RBIs and three stolen bases, but the injuries have been an issue.
In his first six seasons in the majors, he's played in 100 games just once (2021), and while he'll likely pass that number in 2024, it probably won't be too many more than that, as there are only 35 games left in Boston's regular season.
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