ST. LOUIS - The Orioles will have to keep moving without Tyler O’Neill, at least for now. Baltimore put the outfielder on the 10-day injured list with right shoulder inflammation, a move made retroactive to Sunday after he hurt the shoulder on a diving catch against Tampa Bay.
O’Neill said a scan showed a rotator cuff strain, and he’s been trying to play through it.
“I got a scan yesterday. Unfortunately, I have a rotator cuff strain,” O’Neill said.
“I’ve been dealing with that, trying to work through it, trying to swing through it. Just nothing really manageable right now.”
The injury happened in the ninth inning of Saturday night’s game when O’Neill laid out for Richie Palacios. The play kept a run off the board and helped Baltimore hang on for a 3-2 win in 10 innings, but it also left O’Neill dealing with his 19th trip to the injured list.
“It was from the dive, kind of got hyperextended over my shoulder,” he said. “Didn’t feel great in the moment, kind of just shook it off, but it just wasn’t feeling right. It hasn’t felt right the last couple of days.”
O’Neill wasn’t backing away from the play itself. He said he’d make the same move again.
“I’d do it again,” O’Neill said. “I’d do it again for these guys, man because it was a big situation.
That ball had to get caught or that run was going to score. The offense did a great job at scoring the next inning, so that was great, and it turned into a win.
“Obviously, really frustrating though, personally and just having to deal with his. On the road back now. Nothing I can do about it right now, just trying to work with these guys and get healthy as soon as possible.”
Earlier this year, O’Neill also spent time on the concussion injured list. This stint comes at an awkward point, with fewer than five weeks left in the season and O’Neill hoping to get back before September 27.
“That’s my goal,” O’Neill said. “I’m going to do everything in my power to get back, get back producing with these guys and help them in any way that I can. Hopefully, it’s not too long.”
He’s been in a rough stretch at the plate too, going hitless in his last 11 at-bats. Overall, O’Neill is batting .212 with 10 home runs, 23 RBIs and a .677 OPS.
To fill the roster spot, the Orioles purchased infielder Luis Vázquez’s contract from Triple-A Norfolk.
“It’s a big blow for us,” manager Craig Albernaz said. “T.O. pretty much turned around his season. He started off slow, not the season he wanted, but the pro that he is and the track record, just kept working, and he’s been a real force for us, especially against left-handed pitching, was outstanding in right field for us, putting his body on the line, making great throws.”
With O’Neill out, the Orioles are expected to get more Christian Franklin and Leody Taveras in the outfield. Blaze Alexander is starting in center field for Norfolk on Wednesday in the second game of his rehab assignment.
“The hole that we have to fill is going to be a group effort,” Albernaz said.
Baltimore also announced that bullpen coach Hank Conger will miss the final two games of the series because his wife is about to give birth to the couple’s second child. Assistant pitching coach Mitch Plassmeyer will step in, and Conger is expected back for the Athletics series on Friday.
In another roster note, High-A Frederick right-hander Kyson Witherspoon was placed on the injured list with right shoulder impingement. Witherspoon was acquired in the trade that sent Adley Rutschman to Boston.
The Orioles’ lineup for the game featured Jackson Holliday at second, Pete Alonso at DH, Gunnar Henderson at shortstop, Samuel Basallo at first, Christian Encarnacion-Strand at third, Dylan Beavers in left, Leody Taveras in right, Colton Cowser in center and Carlos Narváez catching Kyle Bradish. The Cardinals countered with JJ Wetherholt at short, Iván Herrera at DH, Alec Burleson at first, Jordan Walker in right, Nathan Church in center, José Fermín at second, Nolan Gorman at third, Bryan Torres in left and Jimmy Crooks behind the plate for Michael McGreevy.
In Other News...
Pete Alonso's Orioles Turnaround Followed A Huge Offseason Life Change
Pete Alonsos first months in Baltimore came with more than the usual challenge of changing teams. After spending his entire career with the Mets, he signed a five-year, $155 million deal with the Orioles and then had to adjust not just to a new clubhouse and routine, but to a major life change at home as well. The early stretch was an adjustment period, and it showed at times as he settled into both roles.
Since May, though, Alonso has looked far more like the middle-of-the-order force Baltimore expected. He has posted a .940 OPS and hit 27 home runs, a strong sign that the personal and professional transition is finally smoothing out. For the Orioles, the encouraging part is not just the production, but the way he has managed to find it after such a significant offseason shift. [Read more 🡒]
Tyler O'Neill Said Exactly What Orioles Fans Needed To Hear
Tyler O'Neill gave the Orioles one of their biggest defensive moments of late with a diving catch in the Aug. 22 win over Tampa Bay, the kind of play that can change the feel of a game and, in this case, helped set up a walk-off finish. Just a few days later, Baltimore had to move him to the 10-day injured list on Aug. 26 because of a strained rotator cuff, a reminder of how quickly a key contributor can go from difference-maker to sidelined.
Even with O'Neill out, the clubhouse tone has stayed upbeat as the Orioles keep chasing a Wild Card spot. Reliever Andrew Kittredge has pointed to the team's positive momentum, and for a club trying to bank wins in late August, that matters almost as much as the box score. Baltimore still has to navigate the stretch ahead without one of its more impactful defenders, but the confidence around the group has not gone anywhere. [Read more 🡒]
Orioles Suddenly Have A Christian Encarnacion-Strand Decision To Make
Christian Encarnacion-Strand has quickly turned himself into a relevant Orioles conversation piece at the right time. Over the last 13 games, he has given Baltimore a real jolt at the plate, driving in 15 runs while batting .294/.302/.588, and his surge has come with the kind of timing that forces a front office to start thinking beyond the current stretch run.
Craig Albernaz has already acknowledged the impact Encarnacion-Strand has made, especially after Blaze Alexander went down with an injury, and now the bigger question is how that production fits into Baltimores long-term picture. With trades and positional shuffles potentially reshaping the roster, the Orioles suddenly have to decide whether his recent run is a short-term burst or something they need to build around going into next season. [Read more 🡒]