Just two seasons ago, Tyler O'Neill emerged as one of the best outfielders in all of baseball. Now, the St. Louis Cardinals' left fielder is fighting through a lower back strain and trying to contribute to a woeful Cardinals team that will be shaken up ahead of the 2023 MLB trade deadline.

O'Neill's back injury was so painful that he wasn’t able to hold his daughter at times and he woke up with immense pain. He returned to action recently after missing two months but came through in the clutch in the top of the ninth inning. Clinging to a one-run lead with two outs, he hit a crucial double that scored three runs in a win over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Almost a week after being activated from the 60-day IL, the 28-year-old said that he is doing well physically and that playing in the minor leagues helped him bounce back, according to Jesse Borek of MLB.com.

“I feel like I'm in a really good spot physically,” O’Neill said, via MLB.com. “I formulated a really solid routine that gets me going every day…Had a handful of at-bats down at Triple-A to get me ready, whatever it took to get me to the spot where I am now. To me, it’s just getting those everyday reps and continuing to get that timing down, continuing to be in a good spot.”

O'Neill has a .657 OPS in 119 plate appearances this season, which is down from .700 last year, which is down from .912 in the prior season. His absence has been one of many sources of disappointment for the Cardinals this season, as they have a 45-56 record and will very likely be out of the playoffs for the first time in the previous five seasons.

Whether the Cardinals try to trade Tyler O'Neill at the deadline or keep him around and try to get him back to being a star, his health is paramount.

“It's really nice to have him offensively, [a player] who, 30-plus homers and driving [in] runs and being a real threat at the plate,” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said, via MLB.com. “He's confident, he's feeling good and he's bought into what needs to happen in order to get back to that. I think we'll see that Tyler O’Neill again.”