Outfielder Tyler O’Neill was returned from his minor league rehab project by the Orioles on Saturday, per a membership announcement. O’Neill was positioned on the shelf on account of a shoulder impingement almost a month in the past, however started his rehab project final week and appeared to be nearing a return to motion previous to Saturday’s information. He had sat out latest video games on account of renewed soreness in his shoulder, nonetheless, and now has been pulled off his rehab project completely. MASN’s Roch Kubatko relays that O’Neill can be shut down from all baseball exercise for one week and has already acquired an injection in his AC joint.
The information is a transparent signal that the Orioles mustn’t count on O’Neill’s return anytime quickly. Whereas an estimated timetable for his return to the sphere received’t be recognized till after this shutdown interval ends, it needs to be anticipated he’ll have to resume increase with lighter baseball actions earlier than he’s in place for the Orioles to think about a brand new rehab project. Place gamers will be on a rehab project for a most of 20 days earlier than they must be pulled again or activated from the IL, so as soon as he begins enjoying in rehab video games once more the countdown to his return can resume in earnest.
Till then, Baltimore’s outfield can be with out its high right-handed choice. The group signed O’Neill to a three-year, $49.5MM deal in free company over the offseason as a means to assist make up for the lack of Anthony Santander from their lineup and complement a closely left-handed outfield combine that options Cedric Mullins, Colton Cowser, and Heston Kjerstad frequently. O’Neill made loads of sense as a complement to that trio given his glorious numbers towards left-handed pitching, however issues haven’t labored out so effectively in yr one in all his contract with the Orioles. The outfielder has been restricted to only 24 video games by accidents this yr, and even when he’s been wholesome sufficient to take the sphere he’s hit a paltry .188/.280/.325 (70 wRC+) with simply two dwelling runs in 93 plate appearances.
It’s a far cry from the manufacturing he supplied the Purple Sox final yr, when he slugged 31 homers in 113 video games and posted a 131 wRC+ total. Whereas that kind of efficiency can clearly be transformational for a lineup, the Orioles would possible profit from even a extra modestly productive model of O’Neill so long as he can get wholesome sufficient to return to the outfield. The Orioles have been the least productive offense towards left-handed pitching within the American League this yr, and their 62 wRC+ is forward of solely the lowly Rockies within the majors as an entire. O’Neill is a profession .261/.366/.524 hitter towards southpaws, so even a diminished model of him might be an enormous enhance to the lineup.
Till he returns, nonetheless, the Orioles seem prone to proceed counting on Ramon Laureano to fill O’Neill’s function as a lefty-mashing outfielder. Laureano has excelled in Baltimore this yr with a 139 wRC+ in 133 plate appearances, although the longtime lefty masher has really gotten most of his manufacturing towards right-handed pitching this yr with below-average numbers towards opposite-handed pitching. That makes him an imperfect complement to the Orioles’ in any other case all-lefty outfield, however till O’Neill returns the membership doesn’t have many clearly higher choices.
