Orioles place O’Neill on 10-day injured list with right shoulder inflammation, add Vázquez

ST. LOUIS—Orioles outfielder Tyler O’Neill has been placed on the 10-day injured list with right shoulder inflammation. The move is retroactive to Sunday. O’Neill injured his shoulder making a diving catch on Tampa Bay’s Richie Palacios in the ninth inning of Saturday night’s game.

“I got a scan yesterday. Unfortunately, I have a rotator cuff strain,” O’Neill said. “I’ve been dealing with that, trying to work through it, trying to swing through it. Just nothing really manageable right now.”

This is O’Neill’s 19^th time on the injured list. Earlier in the season, the 31-year-old outfielder was on the concussion injured list.

“I’m really disappointed,” O’Neill said. “All I do is try and go out and play a hard game every single day and give it my best effort. This is unfortunately the result of playing hard sometimes and just going to do my best to manage it and rehab it.”

O’Neill, who’s hitless in his last 11 at-bats, is hitting .212 with 10 home runs and 23 RBIs and a .677 OPS.

“See what we can do and try to get back on track as soon as possible,” O’Neill said.

The injury is a new one.

“It was from the dive, kind of got hyperextended over my shoulder,” he said. “Didn’t feel great in the moment, kind of just shook it off, but it just wasn’t feeling right. It hasn’t felt right the last couple of days.”

O’Neill isn’t questioning the results of the outstanding play he made. It saved a run in a game the Orioles won, 3-2, in 10 innings.

“I’d do it again,” O’Neill said. “I’d do it again for these guys, man, because it was a big situation. That ball had to get caught or that run was going to score. The offense did a great job at scoring the next inning, so that was great, and it turned into a win.

“Obviously, really frustrating, though … just having to deal with this. On the road back now. Nothing I can do about it right now, just trying to work with these guys and get healthy as soon as possible.”

There are fewer than five weeks left in the season, and O’Neill would like to return before the season ends on September 27^th.

“That’s my goal,” O’Neill said. “I’m going to do everything in my power to get back, get back producing with these guys and help them in any way that I can. Hopefully, it’s not too long.”

To replace O’Neill on the roster, the Orioles purchased the contract of infielder Luis Vázquez from Triple-A Norfolk.

“It’s a big blow for us,” manager Craig Albernaz said. “T.O. pretty much turned around his season. He started off slow, not the season he wanted, but the pro that he is and the track record, just kept working, and he’s been a real force for us, especially against left-handed pitching, was outstanding in right field for us, putting his body on the line, making great throws.”

Without O’Neill, there will be more Christian Franklin and Leody Taveras in the outfield. Blaze Alexander is starting in center field for Norfolk on Wednesday in the second game of his rehab assignment.

“The hole that we have to fill is going to be a group effort,” Albernaz said.

Notes: Bullpen coach Hank Conger has left the club for the final two games of this series because his wife is about to give birth to the couple’s second child. Assistant pitching coach Mitch Plassmeyer will fill in. Conger is expected back for the Athletics series on Friday. … High-A Frederick right-hander Kyson Witherspoon was placed on the injured list with right shoulder impingement. Witherspoon was acquired in the trade that sent Adley Rutschman to Boston.

Orioles-Cardinals lineups:

Orioles

Jackson Holliday-2B

Pete Alonso-DH

Gunnar Henderson-SS

Samuel Basallo-1B

Christian Encarnacion-Strand-3B

Dylan Beavers-LF

Leody Taveras-RF

Colton Cowser-CF

Carlos Narváez-C

Kyle Bradish-RHP

Cardinals

JJ Wetherholt-SS

Iván Herrera-DH

Alec Burleson-1B

Jordan Walker-RF

Nathan Church-CF

José Fermín-2B

Nolan Gorman-3B

Bryan Torres-LF

Jimmy Crooks-C

Michael McGreevy-RHP

Call for questions: I answer Orioles questions most weekdays. Please send yours to: Rich@BaltimoreBaseball.com