O’Neill feeling at home here
There must be several hundred dudes named Tyler O’Neill running around Eastern Massachusetts at any given moment. You can find them in line at Dunks, waiting for a train at North Station, or stuck in traffic on the Mass. Pike.
The one who plays for the Red Sox and hit a fastball 404 feet over the Green Monster on Sunday afternoon feels right at home.
“I love it here,” said O’Neill, who reached base three times to help the Red Sox beat the Angels, 5-4. “I’m getting to know the city of Boston and getting familiarized with my teammates. It’s been awesome.”
O’Neill is hitting .304 with a 1.209 OPS and 14 runs through 14 games. His seven home runs are tied with Marcell Ozuna of the Braves for the major league lead and he’s playing solid defense in the outfield.
“I feel like I’m in a pretty good spot,” the 28-year-old said.
O’Neill also is fully embracing the experience of playing for the Sox and in Boston. He and his wife, Stephanie, found a place in the Back Bay and have explored the city a little bit with their 15month-old daughter.
They’re planning to do more. Little Audrey doesn’t know it yet, but she may be her father’s best coach.
“It’s easy to separate myself from the game now and take the role of being a dad when I get home from the ballpark,” O’Neill said. “It helps me have a better balance. It helps my attitude for lack of a better word. Her routines are good for me.”
As a righthanded hitter with power, O’Neill is a good fit at Fenway. He’s also a fundamentally sound player, something the Red Sox lack.
“That guy’s just a good all-around player,” said Kenley Jansen, who struck out Mike Trout with runners on second and third to end the game. “I’ve seen that for a few years.”
O’Neill homered in the first inning, driving a high fastball from Tyler Anderson over the wall. O’Neill singled in the third inning and drew a walk in the seventh after falling behind 0 and 2 against lefty José Suarez.
“That [plate appearance] tells me a lot about him,” Sox manager Alex Cora said. “Not being greedy, staying with his plan. Obviously, the homer was great. But he controls the at-bat. He knows what he wants to do; he’s not expanding. He’s been locked in.”
O’Neill is a high-energy player and Cora has so far been careful not to start him more than five days in a row. O’Neill was on the injured list twice in 2023 and three times in 2002.
“You’ve got to keep him fresh. That’s important,” Cora said.
There’s no set formula, according to Cora. It’s more of a running conversation with O’Neill.
“When he’s healthy, when he’s on the field, he’s an impactful player,” Cora said. “We just have to make sure we stay on top of it.”
O’Neill was in a 0-for-10 skid with five strikeouts when Cora gave him Saturday off. His first two at-bats produced hits Sunday. It’s not that easy, of course. But O’Neill appreciates that Cora is looking out for him.
“These guys, especially Alex, have been awesome,” O’Neill said. “I can’t stop raving about them. They fix me up; they get me right. Those are conversations we’re going to continue to have.
“Alex gets it. He played before; he understands [what it’s] like in the trenches. I’m an explosive athlete and playing the outfield, there’s a lot of running that goes on and there are some days you need to be off your feet and prioritize recovery.”
O’Neill admits there was a time in his career when he fought against the idea of taking a break.
“That’s been my challenge: reeling it back and taking care of myself instead of always going full throttle,” he said.
(No worries, Tyler. They’re good at not going full throttle here.)
O’Neill was drafted by the Mariners in 2013 and then traded to the Cardinals in 2017. The Sox acquired him in December for righthanders Nick Robertson and Victor Santos, who are both in the minors.
“I like playing at Fenway. This place is awesome,” O’Neill said. “I came here as a visitor in ’22; it was my favorite road ballpark. I’m glad to be wearing the home uni in Boston.
“I just wanted to make a good first impression on the people here.”
Seven home runs over 14 games? Consider it done.