The Baltimore Orioles got an update on injured outfielder Tyler O'Neill.
The Baltimore Orioles are heading into the offseason looking for each player on the roster to get fully healthy with hopes of making the playoffs in 2027. Outfielder Tyler O’Neill is one of those players.
He has been shut down for the rest of 2026, and he has already taken a step toward next year. He recently received a platelet-rich plasma injection in his ailing right shoulder that landed him on the 10-day injured list back in August.
The update came via Jake Rill of MLB.com, who added that O’Neill is expected to be ready in time for spring training in 2027. The injection is meant to speed the healing of his shoulder injury.
O’Neill hurt his shoulder on a diving catch against the Tampa Bay Rays in late August. The game-saving grab came with a runner on second and two outs, a vintage full-effort play. What started as soreness was later diagnosed as a strained right rotator cuff, which closed the book on his season.
The timing was unfortunate, because he had been trending up as a hitter before going down. O’Neill finished with a .212/.300/.677 slash line, along with 10 home runs and 23 RBIs across 85 games. In the second half though, O’Neill was a better hitter, posting a .247 batting average, .318 on-base percentage and .746 OPS in 26 appearances.
Injuries defined his year, though. The 31-year-old was slowed early by a concussion in April and never strung together a fully healthy stretch. The shoulder problem that ended things was simply the last in a run of setbacks that limited him to those 85 games.
Signed away from the Boston Red Sox before the 2025 season, O’Neill has battled to stay on the field in Baltimore. A two-time Silver Slugger with a 30-plus homer season on his resume, he still has the ability to be a solid hitter when healthy. He just has not reached the same peak he did a couple seasons ago.
O’Neill will be entering the final year of a three-year, $49.5 million contract and is set to earn $16.5 million in 2027 before reaching free agency. With a crowded young outfield in Baltimore, he is not guaranteed an everyday role when camp opens.
Baltimore was eliminated from postseason contention this week and sits at 78-81. They enter their final series of the year against the New York Yankees near the bottom of the American League East. It marks the second straight year the Orioles will miss October. The front office has signaled it wants to retool a roster that has now fallen short in back-to-back seasons.
A clean offseason would put O’Neill on track for spring training and a chance to win back regular at-bats. After another year defined by injuries, simply arriving healthy would be a meaningful first step.
