Just before Wednesday night’s game against the Guardians, the Orioles announced that outfielder Tyler O’Neill would be a last-minute scratch.

Manager Brandon Hyde told reporters that O’Neill is dealing with neck soreness and that the 29 year old would be unavailable for the time being.

It’s not clear how O’Neill sustained the injury. He did make a couple aggressive plays in the outfield on Tuesday in the Orioles’ loss to Cleveland but there have yet to be any reports about the exact nature of O’Neill’s injury.

Unfortunately, O’Neill is no stranger to injuries and spending time on the IL.

As Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun mentioned in a recent write-up, O’Neill has been on the IL 14 times in his career, averaging two IL trips per year.

The slugger has played in more than 100 games in a season just twice in his career, with one of those coming last year in Boston.

Orioles’ outfielder Tyler O’Neill dealing with neck soreness, scratched from Wednesday night’s game

His performance with the Red Sox was a big part of why the Orioles felt comfortable giving him a three-year deal worth nearly $50 million.

He hit .241/.336/.511 and he’s repaid the O’s brass by coming out and being one of Baltimore’s best hitters in the early part of 2025. O’Neill’s .265/.339/.490 slash line this year has been good for a 140 wRC+, second best among all Orioles and behind just Cedric Mullins.

Despite O’Neill’s strong performance in 2024, he did make three separate trips to the IL.

He missed just over a week dealing with a concussion, missed two weeks with knee inflammation, and missed an additional two weeks with an infection in his leg that required a stay in the hospital.

At the moment, the Orioles offense doesn’t seem built to withstand the loss of O’Neill.

While there are guys who can technically fill his roster spot, specifically Ramon Laureano and Heston Kjerstad, the O’s are already down Colton Cowser and have yet to find their rhythm at the plate.

Losing one of their better hitters would be a major thorn in the side for manager Brandon Hyde and the Orioles.

With any luck, O’Neill’s injury is more of a day-to-day issue and Hyde can manage his time in the lineup this week in order to get him back to full strength before long.