The early part of the season has been both surprising and disappointing for the Boston Red Sox. The team opened the season with a West Coast road trip, and the Red Sox played quite well as they were far from home, winning 7 of their first 10 games. However, when they returned home to compete at Fenway Park, they reversed their winning ways and lost 7 of 10. In addition to the on-field results, the Red Sox have a myriad of injuries, including concussion-like symptoms to power-hitting Tyler O’Neill.
O’Neill said he was diagnosed with a concussion. Has been dealing with dizziness and brain fog but is feeling better today. He’s traveling with the team to stay up on treatment and hopeful to be back Tuesday but they’ll have to see how he progresses
— Jen McCaffrey (@jcmccaffrey) April 18, 2024
The Red Sox did not spend a lot of money on free agency in the offseason, but they did acquire O’Neill to play outfield. In addition to being a superb defensive player, O’Neill has shown he has been able to hit with power on a consistent basis.
Through his first 15 games with the Red Sox, O’Neill is slashing .313/.459/.750 while bashing a team-leading 7 home runs. However, O’Neill has been out of action since Monday when he collided with Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers. The two biggest hitters on the Red Sox were chasing a pop up near the left field foul line, and neither one backed off in their pursuit of the ball. As a result, the two men hit their heads together.
Devers crashed to the ground face first and appeared to be seriously hurt. He remained on the ground for about two minutes, but he was able to get up under his own power and avoid any kind of head injury.
O’Neill was not as lucky, as he was cut initially and then started showing concussion-type symptoms. He came out of the game immediately and he has not been in the Boston lineup since then.
O’Neill goes on 7-day Injured List
The Red Sox placed O’Neill on the 7-day injured list. The Red Sox are going to Pittsburgh for a three-game series over the weekend, but he will not be eligible to play in that series. However, the Red Sox will follow the series in Pittsburgh with a three-game set in Cleveland against the Guardians. He may be able to come off the injured list for that series if his concussion symptoms relent.
Tyler O’Neill said he has been diagnosed with a concussion. The symptoms he has faced include dealing with dizziness and brain fog. O’Neill reported Thursday that he is starting to feel better. He is traveling with the team to continue his treatment. He has hope that he will be able to return to action next week, but it depends on his overall progress.
The Red Sox have had a series of injuries. Devers has been dealing with shoulder and knee issues throughout the first 20 games of the season. Shortstop Trevor Story suffered a season-ending shoulder injury during the opening road trip. Pitcher Nick Pivetta suffered mild elbow flexor strain but he will have a bullpen session Saturday. Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Pivetta has turned a corner and is doing well.