The Red Sox reinstated Tyler O’Neill from the 10-day injured list on Wednesday only to have the outfielder re-tweak his knee on Friday night.
O’Neill left during the third inning of Boston’s 7-2 loss against the Chicago White Sox on Friday night.
“I was feeling pretty good pregame and stuff,” O’Neill told reporters, as seen on NESN’s postgame coverage. “I just tweaked it in the outfield there. Didn’t feel too good.”
The 28-year-old said the diagnosis on his right knee hasn’t changed, and it was just a flare-up he felt when he made a catch on Corey Julks’ flyball.
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“I made a cut out there (in the outfield),” O’Neill explained. “… And it just tweaked on me. Just really frustrating with how I was feeling. I was feeling really good earlier in the day. Banged up a little bit the last couple of days. Just kind of getting back in rhythm playing a full nine innings and game pace.
“Really frustrating for me. … Just trying to keep my spirits up. It really sucks. We’re going to find a solution though. I’m confident in that.”
The Red Sox outfielder said he’s tried using a cortisone shot, but the effects of the injection didn’t have the desired effect, considering the knee flared up again.
“I feel like I was really close to getting through it,” O’Neill said. “… It really sucks. It’s really frustrating for me to feel the way I’m feeling right now. But the boys aren’t too worried about it, so I’m pretty thankful for that. Hopefully, it cleans up quick.”
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The next steps are unknown at this time, but O’Neill is hoping to avoid another trip to the IL.
“Avoiding the IL is definitely on the table,” he said. “… I don’t know what the next steps are gonna look like, but I just want to get it cleaned up as soon as possible. It’s not fun playing in pain.”
The Red Sox have placed O’Neill on the IL twice this season. The first was a seven-day stint after he collided with Rafael Devers in April and missed six games. This last trip to the IL resulted in O’Neill missing nine games for the Boston.
