O'Neill out of lineup after dispute with Marmol

ST. LOUIS -- Cardinals center fielder Tyler O'Neill, whose effort level while running from second base to home on Tuesday night was called into question by manager Oliver Marmol, was not in the starting lineup on Wednesday afternoon against the Braves.

Marmol reasserted Wednesday that O’Neill was in the wrong by not running at full speed on the play that ended Tuesday’s seventh inning. Dylan Carlson started in center field for the series finale, but O'Neill eventually came in to pinch-hit for Andrew Knizner in the eighth inning of the 5-2 loss, flying out to center field.

When asked if O’Neill would return to the starting lineup on Friday when the Cardinals face the rival Brewers in Milwaukee, Marmol said it was “a fair question,” but he didn't answer it.

O’Neill, who battled two hamstring ailments in an injury-marred 2022 season, rounded third base gingerly on a rainy night and was thrown out at home by Braves superstar Ronald Acuña Jr. Marmol approached O’Neill after the game and asked about a possible injury. When he was told of no injury, Marmol then criticized the outfielder’s effort in trying to score after being waved home by third-base coach Ron “Pop” Warner in a game where the Cards would go on to lose 4-1.

Marmol called out O’Neill’s effort in his postgame news conference, and O’Neill denied the notion that he wasn’t running hard. The manager and player then met later Tuesday night to discuss the play. Marmol remained steadfast that the outfielder did not meet the hustle requirements he expects out of all the team’s players.

“There’s a standard, and it’s here [hand raised high into the air],” Marmol said. “You meet [the standard], you play; you don’t meet it, you don’t play.”

Marmol didn’t stop there, pointing out that the Cardinals have five starting-quality outfielders, which means there is a daily competition for playing time.

O’Neill struggled throughout last season while being bothered by a right shoulder injury and two left hamstring strains. The muscular outfielder, who won Gold Gloves as a left fielder in 2020 and ’21, spent most of his offseason in St. Louis while working with the team’s strength and conditioning staff to devise a plan that might help him avoid future injuries. After O’Neill was thrown out at home Tuesday night, he repeatedly mentioned wanting to remain healthy for the season.

“I’m trying to do everything I can to stay on the field here and give it my best effort, and I’ve never been known to be a dogger in any caliber,” O’Neill said. “For [Marmol] to say that [I didn’t hustle], that’s very strong words.”

Marmol benched Harrison Bader in 2022 when he felt the outfielder did not run hard enough to first on a batted ball. At the time, Marmol immediately removed Bader from the lineup, and he said he handled the situation perfectly and was back in the lineup a day later. Marmol said he didn’t immediately remove O’Neill because he wanted to review the overhead video of the play and he wanted to make sure that O’Neill wasn’t playing while injured.

Marmol said he had no issue with Warner sending O’Neill home even though the Cardinals trailed by three runs at the time, the field was wet from the rain and Acuña Jr. fielded Brendan Donovan’s hard-hit single in shallow right field. He said the send is in question only because of the overall effort on the play.

According to Statcast metrics, O’Neill had a 13-foot primary lead and a 15.9-foot secondary lead. He hit a top sprint speed of 28 feet per second -- 30 feet per second is considered elite by MLB standards -- and O’Neill went from second to third in 3.67 seconds and from second to home in 7.31 seconds. Acuña Jr.’s throw from right field to easily retire O’Neill hit 92.7 mph.

“I think, at the end of the day, if everything -- primary [lead], secondary [lead] and effort -- are what you're used to seeing with someone like Tyler, then it's a non-play,” Marmol said.