The Boston Red Sox cannot wait for their most powerful right-handed hitter to return from injury.
Outfielder Tyler O’Neill is recovering from a mysterious leg infection, and his imminent reappearance will be a much-needed injection into a Red Sox lineup that went stone cold over the weekend at Fenway Park versus the Houston Astros.
O’Neill’s .544 slugging percentage and 22 homers in 2024 have been an important element of Boston’s bat attack, but whether or not O’Neill will be in a Red Sox uniform past this season is very much up in the air.
Boston’s chief baseball officer Craig Breslow would undoubtedly love to keep O’Neill around, but he’ll have to break out the pocketbook in a big way to do so.
Current price: O’Neill is likely to demand a $60M contract this offseason on the free agent market, a new report from Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller asserts.
“When (O’Neill) has been healthy this season, he has performed at a high level,” Miller said.
"O’Neill had nine home runs by the end of April and was one of the way-too-early candidates for AL MVP. His .900 OPS ranks among the best in the majors, and is a far cry from the .707 mark he put up over the previous two seasons combined."
Current price: "Rather, it has been much more in line with the .912 OPS he had during a mostly healthy 2021 campaign that resulted in a Gold Glove and a top 10 finish in the NL MVP vote. … A three-year, $60M contract is plausible for the 29-year-old who isn't even making $6M this year."
The only threat to O’Neill’s production is the injured list, but each of O’Neill’s ailments this season — a concussion (April), knee inflammation (May), and leg infection (now) — have resulted in only brief absences from the diamond.
O’Neill will presumably be back in the lineup soon as Boston looks to regain some lost ground in the Wild Card race.
For now, contract discussions will have to be put on the back burner as there are baseball games to be won.
