Cardinals: Oli Marmol’s early-season mistake looks even worse now

Remember when Cardinals manager Oli Marmol called out Tyler O’Neill for his lack of hustle in early April? That looks even worse now.

The St. Louis Cardinals are playing it very safe with outfielder Tyler O’Neill, which is the mentality Oli Marmol should have had from the start.

Marmol criticized O’Neill for a lack of hustle in an early-season series against the Atlanta Braves. O’Neill, who has a history of lower-body injuries, admitted it was fresh in his mind as he took his time rounding third in what eventually became a putout by outfielder Ronald Acuña. Mistakes happen, and O’Neill was clearly trying not to suffer the same fate in 2023. Unfortunately, he’s run into a similar problem.

O’Neill, who has been out since May 5, “has been shut down from performing baseball activities for a third time after he continues to be bothered by discomfort in his lower back,” per MLB.com. The young outfielder’s name has been swirling in trade rumors since his spat with Marmol over a month ago.

Cardinals: Oli Marmol’s mistake looks worse now

While the 24-32 have looked better of late, they have a long way to climb before they are truly considered ‘back.’ Early in the season, manager Oli Marmol called out O’Neill for his effort on this play.

“That’s not our style of play as far as the effort, rounding the bag there,” Marmol said. “It’s unacceptable.”

O’Neill disagreed, saying that he did give his best effort in the moment. Marmol taking the disagreement publicly seemed to surprise O’Neill, and some relationship repair was needed by the manager as he tried to keep his clubhouse in tact.

“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.”

While that’s all fine and good, Marmol isn’t going to “get him there” by putting him on blast to the media. That’s not good for business.

Now, O’Neill is on the injured list.