Tyler O'Neill established himself as a high-level player for the St. Louis Cardinals in 2021. The 27-year-old left fielder had a poor 2022 season by those standards, though, thanks in part to injuries. The upcoming season could be a huge one for him but he will seemingly be navigating a position change.

O'Neill may be playing a lot more center field for the Cardinals in the 2023 season. He has been playing only that position throughout Spring Training and will play it during the World Baseball Classic, according to John Denton of MLB.com.

Denton notes that O'Neill “has been working exclusively in center field today. He was there during fly ball practice and he just tracked down a sinking liner in right-center during BP. He’ll play CF for Team Canada in the [World Baseball Classic].”

O'Neill played 21 games at center field last year. The Cardinals will be looking for a new full-time CF after trading away Harrison Bader. Dylan Carlson was the primary option during the back half of last season but O'Neill, who boasted Gold Glove-caliber defense in left field, could do well in center. Putting him in a more strenuous position after dealing with injuries is risky but O'Neill is hopeful that his new warm-up routine can help him stay in tip-top shape.

As Canada looks to compete in the World Baseball Classic with major leaguers like Freddie Freeman, Cal Quantrill, Nick Pivetta, Bo Naylor and Abraham Toro, Tyler O'Neill will look to lead the squad and get comfortable with a position