Tyler O’Neill, the Boston Red Sox’s right fielder, could be returning to the injured list after his ailing right knee flared up again Friday night.
O’Neill was activated off the 10-day disabled list on Wednesday, after being sidelined with right knee irritation.
“I’m not sure what the next steps are going to be,” O’Neill said following Boston’s 7-2 loss to the Chicago White Sox. “But all I want is to get it cleaned up as soon as possible.” It’s not fun to play when in agony.”
O’Neill stated he strained his knee while catching Paul DeJong’s fly ball in the second inning. After Lenyn Sosa popped up to catch for Chicago’s first out of the third, O’Neill walked off the field with manager Alex Cora and a trainer.
“It’s just really frustrating with how I was feeling,” O’Neill stated. “I was feeling really good earlier in the day.”
Rob Refsnyder, who shifted from left to right field in a flurry of moves following O’Neill’s departure, then made a spectacular diving catch on Corey Julks’ sinking flyball for the inning’s second out.
Boston acquired O’Neill through a December trade with St. Louis. On May 29, he was placed on the injured list due to a knee injury.
O’Neill, who turns 29 on June 22, is now batting.250 with 11 home runs and 18 RBIs in 44 games.
“We’ve got to be very careful,” Cora remarked. “Playing short is hard, but let’s see where we’re at tonight and we’ll decide what we do tomorrow.”
