The Plight of Tyler O'Neill: A Healthy Bird or a Wounded One?

On March 27, 2025, the Baltimore Orioles began their regular season against the Toronto Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre. With the Orioles leading 2-0 in the top of the third inning, right fielder Tyler O’Neill stepped to the plate to face Blue Jays hurler Jose Berríos. O’Neill extended his major league record by hitting his sixth consecutive Opening Day home run. The Birds’ hitting prowess was on full display as they hit six home runs and launched a fourteen-hit attack to demolish the Blue Jays 12-2.

On December 10, 2024, the Orioles signed Tyler O’Neill to a three-year $49.5 million contract to offset the loss of free agent outfielder Anthony Santander. O’Neill has exhibited his talent on the field and at the plate from the outset. However, the injury bug has plagued his seven-year major league career. Drafted by the Seattle Mariners in 2014, O’Neill played in only 51 games the following year in the Mariners’ minor league system due to a broken bone in his right hand he suffered after punching a concrete wall in the dugout. Nevertheless, O’Neill finished his short season by hitting 13 home runs and driving in 38 runs.

When healthy, Tyler O'Neill has been very good throughout his career. Can he stay on the field for the Orioles in 2025?

On July 21, 2017, the St. Louis Cardinals acquired O’Neill for pitcher Marco Gonzales. The 2021 season was the young outfielder’s breakout year as he appeared in over 100 games for the first time in his career (138), collected 138 hits in 482 at bats, smashed 34 home runs and drove in 80 runs, and batted .286 with a .560 slugging percentage. O’Neill was one of five Cardinals players who won the Gold Glove Award. However, the injury bug continued to haunt him. O’Neill missed several games with a sore shoulder during his breakout season. A hamstring pull also placed him on the injured list. In 2023, the Cardinals placed O’Neill on the 60-day IL with a lower back strain.

On December 8, 2023, the Cardinals traded O’Neill to the Boston Red Sox for right-handed reliever Nick Robertson and minor league right-handed starter Victor Santos. O’Neill appeared in 113 games for the Red Sox, hit 31 home runs, and batted in 61 runs. Yet his batting average slipped to .241.

In the first five games of the 2025 season, Tyler O’Neil has gotten off to a fast start, collecting five hits in his first 21 at-bats and hitting .444 with a .667 slugging percentage. Will the young left fielder enjoy a healthy regular season, or will the injury bug follow him to Baltimore? Throughout his major league career, O’Neill played in less than 100 games in five of those seasons—although the 2020 campaign was cut short because of the COVID-19 outbreak. Nevertheless, a healthy Tyler O’Neil could significantly contribute to the Orioles’ pursuit of an American League pennant and World Series championship in 2025.