What surging Cardinals should do with Tyler O’Neill

Accidents and poor hitting have plagued the St. Louis Cardinals many of the season. Now, with the Cardinals (21-28) on a sizzling streak, outfielder Tyler O’Neill is about to come back again from damage. However that is not precisely nice information.

O’Neill, on the injured listing since Might 4 with a lower-back pressure, is hitting simply .228 (21-for-92) with 4 doubles, two residence runs, six RBI and 12 runs scored in 99 plate appearances this season. He has struck out 34 instances and stranded 47 runners this season.

As well as, O’Neill has a -.3 WAR and an abysmal wRC+ of 74. (For a mean participant, the usual for WAR is about two with a wRC+ of 100.)

In different phrases, O’Neill is a big black gap within the lineup and statistically St. Louis’ worst outfielder. The Cardinals could be higher off buying and selling him.

In his final recreation, O’Neill went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts within the Cardinals’ 11-7 loss to Angels. Since that recreation, the Cardinals are 10-6 with a +40 run differential and have moved from final within the NL Central to fourth place. 

With Lars Nootbaar, Dylan Carlson, Alec Burleson, Juan Yepez and Jordan Walker, St. Louis has higher choices than O’Neill for the outfield. 

Walker was despatched again to Triple-A on account of a scarcity of efficiency, however he was hitting .274, significantly better than O’Neill, with the identical variety of residence runs in 22 fewer at-bats. 

Commerce rumors have swirled about O’Neill, a two-time Gold Glove winner, nearly your entire season. It would not be shocking to see O’Neill moved earlier than the All-Star break.

The marketplace for a struggling and injury-prone outfielder shouldn’t be nice, however somebody may take an opportunity on a participant who hit 34 residence runs in 2021.