Oli Marmol takes step to repair relationship with Tyler O’Neill

Cardinals manager Oli Marmol put Tyler O’Neill back in the lineup on Friday while making sure to talk up the outfielder’s importance to the team.

Cardinals outfielder Tyler O’Neill and manager Oli Marmol were the talk of St. Louis this week, but not for the reason either of them would have wanted.

Marmol called out O’Neill for his baserunning effort on Tuesday night, then benched the outfielder for games on Wednesday and Thursday. O’Neill publicly rejected the idea that his effort was insufficient and chastised his manager for airing the issue in public.

All the while, Cardinals fans, former players and pundits took sides in the debate. Was Marmol out of line? Was O’Neill not living up to the Cardinal Way?

If St. Louis wants to win anything this year, putting this whole drama to bed is essential. So it was good news for the team on Friday when O’Neill was put back in the lineup.

Tyler O’Neill back in Cardinals lineup as Oli Marmol looks to move on

Marmol tried to make it clear that this dispute shouldn’t linger.

“I like Tyler O’Neill,” Marmol told reporters, per MLB.com. “I think he’s one of the most talented players in that clubhouse. But there’s a next step for Tyler and his career and my job is to get him there.

Does this mean the feud is over? That’s up to both player and manager to put it behind them.

“There’s a difference between — and this is what I want to make sure is very clear — there’s a difference between holding a grudge and holding someone accountable. They’re two completely different things. Holding a grudge is holding on to something once you’ve already made your point. Holding someone accountable is very different,” Marmol said.

“It’s your ability to sit down with a player before the lights come on and before the stadium is packed and ask them what they want for themselves, what they want for the team and allowing them to articulate exactly that. Then, it’s asking them for permission to hold them to that. And then, when it doesn’t look right, you hold them to that.”

For now, O’Neill is back in the lineup and everyone can at least try to move on to bigger and better things.