Tyler O'Neill on entering his first camp with the Red Sox: 'It feels great, being pain-free'
Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow made a handful of trades this offseason, one of those deals was acquiring outfielder Tyler O’Neill from the Cardinals for two pitchers, Nick Robertson and Victor Santos.
O’Neill has spent more time off the field the last two seasons, dealing with a handful of injuries from a sprained right ankle, lower back strain, strained left hamstring, strained right hamstring and a right shoulder impingement. His laundry list of ailments finally appear to be behind him as he enters camp healthy and ready to contribute.
“It feels great, being pain-free,” said O’Neill to The Boston Globe’s Julian McWilliams. “It’s one of the top priorities over here for these guys with the meetings that we’ve had, the open dialogue that I’m receiving from [manager Alex Cora], from [chief baseball officer Craig] Breslow, and all these guys.
“It’s been awesome. They’re prioritizing my health over everything. So they want to do everything they can to keep me in the best shape that I can be so I can play 160 games this year. That’s the main goal for me.”
Boston will get a full season to evaluate O’Neill and look at the potential of extending him beyond this season. If the club is not competitive around the trade deadline, Breslow could move the Canadian outfielder to a contender.
O’Neill is a low risk/high reward type player for the Red Sox this season. If he stays healthy and contributes, he will set himself up in his walk year.
This spring the Red Sox will move O’Neill all around the outfield to get a feel where he will impact the team defensively the most.
“I could play anywhere,” said O’Neill. “I can play anywhere they want me. Fenway is so intricate and unique. I’ve got to get the reps out there, though. That’s what it comes down to.
“So just, you know, just making sure I’m taking reads off the bat as much as I can, especially early on before games get going. Seeing what it looks like with the backdrop and understanding the ground behind me.”
Boston has a handful of young outfielders in Wilyer Abreu, Ceddanne Rafaela and Jarren Duran that can play all three outfield positions in addition to O’Neill.
The 28-year-old should see his fair share of playing time if he can stay healthy. His combination of power and speed and versatility in the outfield offers Boston a huge buy-low candidate.
