It's been that kind of year for the St. Louis Cardinals and Tyler O'Neill. For the second straight night, the Cardinals' outfielder is not in the lineup because of left knee tightness. Tyler O'Neill's injury wasn't initially considered to be serious, though his absence from Wednesday's lineup is somewhat concerning.

O'Neill didn't play against the Tampa Bay Rays Tuesday because he said he felt his knee tighten up on him the previous day, according to MLB.com's John Denton. O'Neill noted that he expected to be in the lineup for the Cardinals-Rays game Wednesday.

A back injury forced O'Neill to go on the IL in May. The 28-year-old has been limited to 44 games in the 2023 season. He's hitting .248/.323.407 with five home runs and only 13 RBI.

It was only two years ago that O'Neill hit 34 home runs with a .912 OPS. Finishing eighth in the 2021 NL MVP race and winning his second straight gold glove, the Cardinals' outfielder looked like he might be headed for stardom.

But O'Neill was limited to 96 games and his OPS plummeted to .700 in the 2022 season, He has yet to regain his old form.

There were rumors that O'Neill might be moved at the 2023 MLB trade deadline. Ultimately, the outfielder wasn't part of the Cardinals' mini fire sale.

St. Louis was a trade deadline seller for the first time in a long time. The team is headed for its first losing season in 16 years. The Cardinals traded players headed for free agency like Jordan Montgomery, Jack Flaherty and Jordan Hicks. St. Louis held onto Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt, hoping to compete for the NL Central title in 2024.

O'Neill is under contract for one more year with the Cardinals.