In the midst of a dreadful first quarter of the season for the St. Louis Cardinals, the NL's worst team got relayed some good news on Gold Glove Award-winning outfielder Tyler O'Neill.
O'Neill is set to begin a rehab assignment in the minors on Thursday for a lower back strain, according to John Denton. He has been out of the lineup since May 5. If all goes, well, he's likely to return to the Cardinals lineup early next week.
When in the lineup this season, O'Neill has a .620 OPS and six extra-base hits in 29 games. He has yet to make an error in the field, living up to his elite fielding standards. O'Neill had a breakout campaign in 2021, clubbing 34 homers to the tune of a .912 OPS. He has won two Gold Glove Awards in his career.
The Cardinals have been terrible this season without O'Neill, taking an NL-worst 16-25 record into the middle of May. It's still early, but surely the defending NL Central champions envisioned a much better start to their season.
Whether O'Neill coming back will lead to better results may not be guaranteed for the Cardinals, but it's hard to imagine things getting much worse. The offense hasn’t necessarily been the problem, but getting a power bat back in the lineup and a steller glove out in the field has to make a positive impact.
Tyler O'Neill has the potential to be an all-star. Staying healthy has been a struggle for him, but if he can start to consistently stay on the field, he could turn into a real dynamic player for the Cardinals.
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