The Boston Red Sox have made the decision to place outfielder Tyler O’Neill on the seven-day injured list, retroactive to April 16, ahead of Thursday’s game against the Cleveland Guardians.
O’Neill sustained an injury after colliding with third baseman Rafael Devers earlier in the week, resulting in eight stitches and the need to enter concussion protocol.
In the 15 games he has played with Boston this season, O’Neill has an impressive .313 batting average, a league-leading 1.209 OPS, and seven home runs.
To replace O’Neill on the roster, the Red Sox are bringing back outfielder Rob Refsnyder, who had been sidelined with a toe injury.
Refsnyder has a .273 batting average with a .768 OPS over his two seasons with Boston. He is expected to be utilized against left-handed pitchers, as he has a career .270 batting average and a .757 OPS against them. In the last two seasons, he has hit .326 against lefties with an OPS exceeding .890.