Tyler O'Neill
RF/DH BAL
Tue 3/26/24 8:28 AM

O'Neill started in right field and went 1-for-3 with a walk and a solo home run in Monday's exhibition game against Texas.
EDGE Analysis
This marked the first time O'Neill played in the outfield since March 14. He had been dealing with a calf issue that limited him to designated hitter prior to Monday. O'Neill told Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe that he's "fine now" and that the club was "just being careful." It's expected that he'll be an everyday component of the lineup, but there are variables to consider. That uncertainty stems from Ceddanne Rafaela making the team as the primary center fielder, which means manager Alex Cora will have to juggle O'Neill, Wilyer Abreu, Jarren Duran and Masataka Yoshida at the corners and DH.

Tyler O'Neill
RF/DH BAL
Sun 3/24/24 10:36 AM

O'Neill started at designated hitter and went 1-for-4 in Saturday's spring game against the Twins.
EDGE Analysis
O'Neill, who hasn't played the field since March 14 due to lingering issues with his calf, started at DH in his last three spring games. The Red Sox, however, expect him to be ready for full duty by Opening Day, per Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe. O'Neill is 9-for-30 (.300) with two doubles, one home run, three RBI and seven runs scored over 11 spring games.

Tyler O'Neill
RF/DH BAL
Tue 3/19/24 11:29 AM

O'Neill (calf) is starting at designated hitter and batting fifth for the Red Sox in Tuesday's contest against the Rays, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.
EDGE Analysis
O'Neill's left calf first tightened up on him nearly two weeks ago and he had to be scratched from the lineup this past Friday when it flared up on him again. However, he's feeling well enough to give it a go Tuesday at DH. The Red Sox will want O'Neill to show he can play the outfield before camp breaks, but it's not clear when he might be ready for that.

Tyler O'Neill
RF/DH BAL
Sun 3/17/24 1:56 PM

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said he's hopeful for O'Neill (calf) to return to the Grapefruit League lineup Tuesday versus the Rays, Christopher Smith of The Springfield Republican reports.
EDGE Analysis
Cora acknowledged that if O'Neill isn't ready to play Tuesday, the outfielder's availability for the March 28 season opener versus the Mariners would start to become more of a question mark, but for now, the Red Sox are expecting him to be ready to go for the start of the campaign. If O'Neill doesn't make enough progress in his recovery from the sore left calf, the Red Sox would likely be able to open up everyday roles in the outfield for both Wilyer Abreu and Ceddanne Rafaela alongside Jarren Duran.

Tyler O'Neill
RF/DH BAL
Fri 3/15/24 4:42 PM

O'Neill was scratched from the Red Sox' Grapefruit League lineup Friday due to left calf tightness, Christopher Smith of The Springfield Republican reports.
EDGE Analysis
O'Neill just returned from a calf injury earlier this week and has evidently had it flare up on him again. He had been slated to serve as Boston's designated hitter Friday, but that slot will now be filled by Nick Yorke. It's not clear at this point whether this setback could jeopardize O'Neill's availability for Opening Day, but given his injury history, the team is likely to be very cautious with the 28-year-old.

Tyler O'Neill
RF/DH BAL
Tue 3/12/24 8:36 AM

O'Neill (calf) is starting in right field and batting fifth Tuesday against the Cardinals, Tyler Milliken of 985 The Sports Hub reports.
EDGE Analysis
His return from calf tightness was delayed one more day than expected, but he'll end up missing less than a week. O'Neill is on track to be a regular in the middle of Boston's lineup this season. Injuries limited him to 168 games for the Cardinals over the last two seasons.

Tyler O'Neill
RF/DH BAL
Mon 3/11/24 10:21 AM

O'Neill (calf) is slated to rejoin the Red Sox's Grapefruit League lineup Tuesday versus the Cardinals, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.
EDGE Analysis
O'Neill had been expected to return to action Monday against the Pirates after missing a few days with left calf tightness, but the Red Sox elected to give him one more day off to heal. The 28-year-old is expected to see most of his starts in left field for Boston this season.

Tyler O'Neill
RF/DH BAL
Thu 3/7/24 9:59 AM

O'Neill won't travel with the Red Sox to the Dominican Republic this weekend for their exhibition games against the Rays due to a left calf injury, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globereports.
EDGE Analysis
O'Neill hit a double and home run and stole a base in his last Grapefruit League game Tuesday but evidently developed some calf tightness either in that contest or during Wednesday's off day. The good news is the Red Sox believe he'll be ready to play when they return to Florida on Monday, so the club is seemingly acting cautiously by holding him out of games in the Dominican Republic.

Tyler O'Neill
RF/DH BAL
Tue 3/5/24 10:43 PM

O'Neill started in left field and went 2-for-2 with a double, a walk, a home run, three RBI and two additional runs scored in Tuesday's spring game against the Rays.
EDGE Analysis
O'Neill is 4-for-14 with two extra-base hits and two steals over six Grapefruit League games. It looks like the Red Sox want him to be the primary left fielder. He's started in left field in all six games while Masataka Yoshida has served the designated hitter in five of those outings.

Tyler O'Neill
RF/DH BAL
Fri 2/9/24 9:31 AM

O'Neill is expected to see most of his playing time for the Red Sox this season in left field, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.
EDGE Analysis
Boston isn't giving up hope of Masataka Yoshida improving his outfield defense, but at the moment it sounds like most of his starts will be out of the designated hitter spot. The trickle-down effect means there's an opening in right field, where Wilyer Abreu looks like the favorite to start. Worth keeping in mind, however, is that the Red Sox have been connected to some free-agent outfielders, which would shake things up.