Craig Albernaz Speaks on Devastating Tyler O'Neill Injury

The Baltimore Orioles are again without Tyler O'Neill.

The club placed the outfielder on the 10-day injured list Wednesday with right shoulder inflammation, made the move retroactive to August 23, and selected the contract of shortstop Luis Vazquez from Triple-A Norfolk to fill the roster spot.

O'Neill hurt the shoulder making a diving catch in the ninth inning of Saturday's extra-inning win over Tampa Bay, a play that saved a run in a game Baltimore won 3-2, and he said this week that a scan showed a rotator cuff strain.

"It's a big blow for us. T.O. pretty much turned around his season," manager Craig Albernaz said.

Albernaz went on to say that O'Neill kept working through a slow start, became a real force against left-handed pitching and put his body on the line in right field.

The numbers back up those comments, because O'Neill is hitting just .212 with 10 home runs and 23 RBIs across 85 games and went hitless in his last 11 at-bats before the injury, but he posted a 1.009 OPS with five homers in July and kept producing power into August.

This is the 19th trip to the injured list of his career and his second this season, after a concussion cost him time in April.

He is in the second year of a three-year, $49.5 million contract, and O'Neill himself said he wants to return before the season ends September 27.

Vazquez does not solve the outfield question, since he is an infielder, and the plan is probably for more of Christian Franklin and Leody Taveras out there instead.

The 26-year-old Vazquez still made himself useful immediately, scoring the winning run in the ninth inning Wednesday after Christian Encarnacion-Strand's go-ahead double in an 8-7 win at St. Louis.

Baltimore originally landed Vazquez in a cash deal with the Cubs before last season, and he hit .160 in 36 games with the club a year ago while filling in all over the infield.

That victory followed Tuesday's 13-1 rout at Busch Stadium and pushed the Orioles to 65-68 on the year, fourth in the American League East with two straight wins.

The club plays the series finale in St. Louis on Thursday afternoon, then opens a weekend set against the Athletics on Friday.

Ryan Helsley just took a real step toward rejoining the bullpen, and Felix Bautista is working through rehab outings in the minors after more than a year away.

O'Neill's injury also came in the same game where Dylan Beavers kept coming through with the walk-off double that beat the Rays.

The play that hurt O'Neill was the play that saved that game, and he told reporters he would make the same dive again.

A team at 65-68 in the East could use more of that, even when it means a player lands on the injured list.