Cardinals Slugger Sustains Possible Season-Ending Injury, Has He Played Last Game For St. Louis?

The St. Louis Cardinals' season has been riddled with injuries from the start and will continue to battle adversity up until the very end.

In the most recent case, fans might wonder if the slugger will ever don a Cardinals jersey again.

"The St. Louis Cardinals have placed outfielder Tyler O’Neill on the 10-day injured list with a right foot sprain," MLB.com's John Denton tweeted prior to Sunday's game. "Outfielder/designated hitter Juan Yepez, who has had his best stretch of 2023 in recent weeks, was recalled from Triple-A Memphis."

O'Neill's injury will take him right down the finish line, and could be season-ending. The 28-year-old is under team control through 2024 but that does not mean he will be back.

St. Louis reportedly tried to trade the two-time Gold Glove outfielder to the Miami Marlins "among other teams" ahead of the 2023 season but a deal never developed. Given the Cardinals' surplus of outfielders, he could be on the trade block this winter once again.

Many teams -- such as the Marlins, Seattle Mariners and Cleveland Guardians will be willing to exchange pitching for outfielder help, and St. Louis would be a logical partner for all three.

O'Neill is hitting .231 with 23 extra-base hits including nine home runs, 21 RBIs and a .715 OPS (95 OPS+) in 72 games this year. His season has been littered with ailments but he has a career 112 OPS+ alongside elite defensive capabilities.

It'll be interesting to see if O'Neill ever suits up for St. Louis again.

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Published Sep 17, 2023

SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the St. Louis Cardinals for FanNation's "Inside The Cardinals" on Sports Illustrated. Before starting "Inside The Cardinals", Neville attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media with a minor in Marketing. Neville spent all four years with Merrimack's radio station WMCK, where he grew as a radio/podcast host and producer. His propensity for being in front of a microphone eventually expanded to film, where he produced multiple short films alongside his then-roommate and current co-worker Stephen Mottram. On a journey that began as a way to receive easy credits via film classes, he received a call from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" star Charlie Day. Day advised him to make a feature-length film, which he completed his senior year. While writing the film, Neville completed an internship for United Way as part of their NFL Partnership Program. Neville ran the blog for a team of interns and hosted an internet show called "United Way's NFL Partnership Series" where he interviewed NFL alumni. After college Neville wrote for SB Nation's "Over The Monster," a Red Sox sister site of the flagship brand. His work would eventually lead him to a job as a content producer with NESN, where he would cover all sports. After developing as a writer with the top regional network in the world, he was given the opportunity to join FanNation and the Sports Illustrated Media Group as the publisher of "Inside The Red Sox." After a few months as the top Major League Baseball site in the program, Neville sought expansion and pitched "Inside The Cardinals," one of the newest additions to FanNation and the Sports Illustrated Media Group. The successful launch and quick rise of "Inside The Cardinals" led to Neville joining the Baseball Essential ownership group, a national baseball site under SIMG. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: nevilles@merrimack.edu

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