After Rafael Devers and Tyler O'Neill collided in the outfield on Patriots' Day, O'Neill was visibly bloodied and escorted off the field.
Immediately after he was pulled from the game on April 15, O'Neill got eight stitches above his eye. The next day, the Red Sox shared that the slugger cleared concussion protocol.
Boston's manager Alex Cora reported that he expected O'Neill to return to Boston's lineup on April 18 for the series finale against the Cleveland Guardians. But Boston fans were shocked to see O'Neill absent from the lineup.
An hour before the first pitch, the Red Sox placed O'Neill on the seven-day injured list. Despite claims that the outfielder cleared concussion protocol, Boston listed a concussion as the cause of his IL stint.
Red Sox place Tyler O'Neill on seven-day IL with a concussion despite previous reports that he cleared concussion protocol
Tyler O’Neill has been diagnosed with a mild concussion, I’m told
— Christopher Smith (@SmittyOnMLB) April 18, 2024
Before he was sidelined, O'Neill spent some time on MLB's home run leaderboard. Marcell Ozuna and Mike Trout have since taken over first place on MLB's home run list with eight long balls apiece. O'Neill has crushed seven of his own, which may explain why the Sox have opted to take extra caution with the slugger.
O'Neill's stay on the IL is retroactive to April 16, so time has passed since his seven-day stint started. If his healing goes according to plan, O'Neill could be back in the lineup for the beginning of the Sox's second series against Cleveland on April 23.