TORONTO -- Tyler O'Neill is again healthy and has returned to the Orioles, just in time for the 30-year-old slugger to play a three-game set in his native Canada.
Prior to Baltimore’s series opener vs. Toronto at Rogers Centre on Friday, O’Neill was reinstated from the 10-day injured list, completing his third IL stint of a tough 2025 season. He has missed time due to neck inflammation (April 24-May 9), a left shoulder impingement (May 16-July 4) and, most recently, right wrist inflammation (Aug. 6-Sept. 12).
Outfielder Daniel Johnson was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk as the corresponding move.
O’Neill started at designated hitter and batted sixth in his return to the Orioles’ lineup.
“We’ve missed Tyler. It’s been a tough year, injuries and everything that’s kind of surrounded him with that,” interim manager Tony Mansolino said. “Just excited to get him back in the lineup and get him in the building, have him back as part of the team.”
After signing a three-year, $49.5 million deal with the O’s in December, O’Neill got off to a strong start -- as he always does. O’Neill extended his AL/NL record streak of consecutive Opening Days with a home run to six in Baltimore’s season-opening 12-2 win in Toronto on March 27. It marked the first time the Burnaby, British Columbia native began a season in his home country.
Through 43 intermittent games, O’Neill is hitting .210 with six doubles, one triple, eight home runs, 23 RBIs and a .726 OPS in his first year with the Orioles.
The O’s were hoping for more production out of O’Neill, but he’s far from the only player in the organization to have an injury-plagued campaign. Baltimore has had 28 players spend time on the IL this season, a primary reason why it entered Friday with a 69-77 record and sits well outside of the postseason hunt.
O’Neill has the potential to put up better numbers than he has, as evidenced by his 2024 season, when he belted 31 home runs and posted an .847 OPS in 113 games for Boston.
Although O’Neill has frequently struggled to stay healthy during his eight-year MLB tenure -- his career-high games total is 138 (2021 for St. Louis) and he’s played 100-plus only twice -- he’s typically on the field more often than he has been for the Orioles in 2025.
O’Neill’s latest ailment was sustained when he jammed his right wrist into the outfield wall during an Aug. 6 game in Philadelphia. He played one rehab game at Double-A Chesapeake on Sunday followed by two more at Triple-A this week, going a combined 3-for-11 (.273). He also homered in his final rehab showing with Norfolk on Wednesday.
With only 16 games remaining, the O’s will look to give O’Neill opportunities to build positive momentum toward the offseason. However, corner outfielders Dylan Beavers (Baltimore’s No. 3 prospect, per MLB Pipeline) and Jeremiah Jackson have been among the club’s hottest hitters, while Ryan Mountcastle has often been at designated hitter to allow Coby Mayo to play first base.
“I think everybody’s going to lose a little bit of time,” Mansolino said. “We’ll kind of deduct from some different spots and different places, which will open other areas for guys to play.”
It seems highly likely O’Neill will return to the Orioles in 2026, though he has an opt-out clause after this season. If O’Neill had stayed healthier and had a better season, then perhaps he would have used that to return to free agency and potentially land an even larger contract. But that feels less probable to happen now.
“Just the big thing for Tyler is next year keeping himself on the field,” Mansolino said. “He’s just had some unfortunate things pop up on him. Tyler’s a guy that we love having. Tyler’s a guy that’s an impact player. It’s been a tough year. There’s been a lot of bad luck. The tide will turn for the kid, no doubt.”