O'Neill overcoming early-season injuries, homers in third straight game

BALTIMORE -- The first time the Orioles wrote Tyler O'Neill's name into their lineup, they got exactly what they expected. The 30-year-old outfielder went deep on March 27 in Toronto, extending his AL/NL-record streak of consecutive Opening Days with a home run to six.

Most of the four months since have not gone as planned.

From March 28 through this past Thursday, O’Neill had as many homers (two) as he did trips to the injured list (two). Between April 24 and July 3, he appeared in only six games. When he played, his production was down.

But now, the Canadian slugger is heating up and rounding into form.

O’Neill homered for the third straight day on Sunday afternoon, helping power Baltimore to a 5-1 win over Colorado at Camden Yards. He blasted a two-run shot in the third inning, as he went deep in all three games of the Orioles’ series victory against the Rockies.

In the process, O’Neill doubled his season homer total from three to six -- and let out some frustration.

“It’s been a grind, man. It hasn’t been easy,” O’Neill said. “Obviously, I’ve been injured a lot and just trying to find a way back and figure out that routine in the cage and the prep and all that stuff. Hopefully, I’m figuring out that to click now and just going to continue forward.”

The O’s knew O’Neill’s injury history when they signed him to a three-year, $49.5 million deal in December, the first multiyear contract given out since Mike Elias became general manager in November 2018. O’Neill had been on the IL 14 times over his first seven big league seasons.

But the power potential outweighed the IL track record, especially because most of the times O’Neill had been sidelined were brief. Last year, he still hit 31 homers in 113 games for Boston despite three trips to the IL.

This year, O’Neill was on the injured list from April 24-May 9 due to neck inflammation, then from May 16-July 4 because of a left shoulder impingement.

“Unfortunately, I have been dealt with the injury bug this year,” O’Neill said. “Obviously, I’m doing what I have to do to make those adaptations and get myself ready on a day-to-day basis. It’s something new every year, it’s something new every day, honestly. Just trying to keep progressing. I’m feeling pretty good in there right now.”

That’s been quite apparent. O’Neill’s three-game homer streak matches the longest of his career, and it’s the fourth time he’s reached the mark. However, it’s the first since Sept. 24-25, 2021, when he was playing for the Cardinals and homered in three games against the Cubs over a span of two days at Wrigley Field.

O’Neill’s homer on Sunday traveled a Statcast-projected 433 feet (his second longest of the season) and had an exit velocity of 113.6 mph, the fastest of any of his 115 career home runs.

“He’s a guy that feels good when his swing feels good, and it sounds silly to say that, because you think that about everybody,” interim manager Tony Mansolino said. “But some guys need that more so than others, and I think he’s one, seeing him now and learning him.”

“We knew he could do it,” shortstop Gunnar Henderson added. “We knew it was only a matter of time, just getting on the field and getting reps, and that was I feel like the biggest thing, was just getting out there.”

After missing two games in Cleveland earlier on Tuesday and Wednesday due to general soreness, O’Neill is 7-for-13 (.538) with one double, three homers and six RBIs since returning to the Orioles’ lineup for Thursday’s series finale vs. the Guardians. His OPS is up to .724 over 37 games.

“He's trending in a really positive direction right now. I think this is kind of what we expected when he got signed and came over here,” Mansolino said. “He's a guy that we need. He can help us a lot here in August and September as he kind of gets back to health and gets back to being what he's been for quite a while in the big leagues.”

More importantly, O’Neill could help Baltimore return to postseason contention in 2026. He has an opt-out clause in his contract after this season, but it seems unlikely he’ll do so with how most of his year has gone.

As the Orioles continue to sell prior to Thursday’s 6 p.m. ET Trade Deadline -- they’ve already moved relievers Bryan Baker (Rays) and Gregory Soto (Mets) -- O’Neill and his teammates will focus on building positive momentum for the future.

“I understand what time of year it is and the kind of season we’ve had. It sucks to see guys like that go,” O’Neill said. “But we’ve just got to show up every day and do our thing, keep trying to win ballgames. Even after the Trade Deadline, it’s still about going out and competing and respecting the game and trying our best each and every day, so that’s the plan.”