Tyler O'Neill was initially projected to rejoin the Red Sox on Monday. After that didn't come to fruition, he was tabbed as "likely" to return to Boston's lineup Wednesday.
But before the series finale in Kansas City, the slugging outfielder took a turn for the worst.
The Red Sox placed O'Neill on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to Aug. 4) due to a leg infection prior to their loss at Kauffman Stadium. The news came as a surprise, as "illness" was the reported reason why O'Neill missed Boston's last handful of games.
The development even caught O'Neill himself off guard.
"(Tyler) said, 'Alex, I have no idea what happened here,'" Alex Cora told reporters Wednesday, per The Boston Globe. "When (trainer Jon Jochim) saw him in Texas, he was in bad shape. The last day, his leg was huge. He's been getting treatment, doing everything possible with the medical staff to take care of this. The hope is for him to be with us after 10 days."
O'Neill's shift to the IL arrived at an inopportune time for the Red Sox. Boston on Friday will open a home series against the Houston Astros, who will be highly motivated to gain ground on Cora's club in the American League wild-card standings.
The Red Sox did receive a positive health development Wednesday, though. Chris Martin was activated from the IL and struck out the side in his first outing since July 3.
