41 Tyler O'Neill LF

O'Neill has been focusing on improving several aspects of his hitting over the last few months after mustering just a .173 average in 157 plate appearances last season, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. "I'm definitely more focused on that (offensive) side of the ball this year," O'Neill said. "I know it was a down year for me in the average department. I was still able to do some damage but obviously not in the way I would have liked and that the staff would have liked."

O'Neill offered Gold Glove defense in 2020, but his .173/.261/.360 line and 27.4 percent strikeout rate left plenty to be desired. Consequently, the 25-year-old center fielder went right into honing his craft during the offseason and got an early jump on working with Cardinals hitting coaches this spring. Specifically, O'Neill is concentrating on refining his timing and developing a less mechanical approach at the dish after posting sub-70.0 percent contact rates in all three of his big-league stints thus far.

O'Neill will have to earn the starting left field job in spring training, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Goold responds to a reader question about whether the job is O'Neill's to lose as spring training begins by confirming there is "significant competition" for both the left and right field spots. O'Neill's lack of job security isn't surprising, considering his .173/.261/.360 line across 157 plate appearances a season ago, a major regression from the .262/.311/.411 tally the 25-year-old managed in just six fewer trips to the plate in 2019. There is no shortage of candidates for O'Neill to contend with, a list that includes Dylan Carlson, Lane Thomas and Justin Williams.

O'Neill went 0-for-2 with a stolen base, a walk and a run scored in Sunday's 5-2 win over the Brewers.

O'Neill was productive in the third inning, getting aboard with a walk before stealing second and scoring on an error by Brewers pitcher Freddy Peralta. The steal was O'Neill's third of the year, and he's added seven homers, 19 RBI and 20 runs scored in 50 games.

O'Neill isn't in the lineup for Game 2 of Friday's doubleheader against the Brewers.

O'Neill will take a seat for Friday's nightcap after going 0-for-1 with a strikeout in the first game of the doubleheader. Tommy Edman will take over at third base in his absence.

O'Neill isn't starting Thursday's game against the Brewers.

O'Neill will ride the bench for a third consecutive game Thursday in the series opener against the Brewers. Tommy Edman will serve as the left fielder in his absence.

O'Neill isn't in Wednesday's lineup against the Royals.

O'Neill will play a bench role for a second consecutive game after struggling with strikeouts recently. Dylan Carlson will take over as the left fielder with Harrison Bader starting in center.

O'Neill isn't starting Tuesday against the Royals, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

O'Neill will get a breather after striking out five times over the past two contests. Dylan Carlson will shift to left field with Harrison Bader starting in center.

O'Neill went 1-for-3 with two RBI, a walk and a run scored Saturday as St. Louis beat the Pirates 5-4.

O'Neill supplied a key two-run double as part of the Cardinals' comeback win. He has scuffled in 2020, hitting just .189 through 127 at-bats. O'Neill also ranks in the bottom tenth of the league in expected batting average. Luckily for interested fantasy managers, O'Neill is 4-for-8 lifetime with two home runs against Sunday's opponent, Joe Musgrove.

O'Neill went 1-for-2 with a walk and a two-run homer in a 6-5 win over the Pirates in the first game of Friday's doubleheader.

After an 0-for-3 showing in the nightcap, O'Neill only has two hits in his last 16 at-bats, but both of them have cleared the fence. On the season, the 25-year-old is slashing a woeful .185/.266/.387 with seven homers and 17 RBI over 42 games.

O'Neill went 1-for-2 with a solo home run and sacrifice fly during the win over the Brewers in Game 1 of Wednesday's doubleheader.

O'Neill cut the Brewers' lead to 2-1 with his solo shot off Brandon Woodruff in the second and later tied the game with a sacrifice fly in the fourth. Despite the productive performance, O'Neill has just 15 RBI while hitting a disappointing .195/.276/.389 through 127 plate appearances.

O'Neill went 1-for-4 with an RBI infield single and a stolen base during a win over the Brewers in the second game of a doubleheader Monday.

After sitting in the matinee of the twin bill before appearing as a pinch runner late, O'Neill drew the start in left field in the nightcap and made an impact. The slugger actually utilized his speed to help ignite the Cardinals' comeback from a 2-0 deficit with his two-out, fifth-inning infield single, giving him his fifth RBI over the last 12 games. However, two of the three outs O'Neill made came on strikeouts, and his 27.5 percent whiff rate on the season, while certainly an improvement on last season's 35.1 percent figure, continues to cap his overall upside.

O'Neill is out of the lineup for the first game of Monday's doubleheader with the Brewers, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

O'Neill will be on the bench for a third straight game, as Rangel Ravelo receives a second consecutive turn in the corner outfield. Though he's done well to raise his walk rate (to 8.8 percent) this season while cutting down on his strikeouts (26.7 percent), O'Neill hasn't been hitting for as much power. The Cardinals will likely ride the hotter bat between O'Neill and Ravelo in the starting nine as the team looks to replace Dexter Fowler, who could spend the rest of the season on the COVID-19 injured list.

O'Neill went 2-for-3 with a walk, a two-run home run and his first stolen base of the season during a 12-2 win over the Tigers in the first game of Thursday's doubleheader.

He wasn't able to build on that performance in the nightcap, however, going 0-for-3 in a loss. On the season, O'Neill is slashing .192/.279/.384 with five homers and 12 RBI through 31 games.

O'Neill went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run, a double and an additional run scored in a victory over the Cubs in Game 2 of a doubleheader Saturday.

O'Neill didn't get into the matinee contest, but he keyed a 5-1 win in the nightcap with a two-run homer in the second inning. After going deep three times in his first seven games of the season, O'Neill went 17 contests without a long ball until his round tripper Saturday. He has a .190/.289/.392 slash line on the season.

O'Neill is not in the lineup Sunday against Cleveland, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

O'Neill started the past five games in left field but will take a seat after going hitless in his past 10 at-bats. Tommy Edman receives the start in left Sunday for the Cardinals.

O'Neill went 2-for-4 with a game-tying two-run single and a walk in a win over the Royals on Wednesday.

O'Neill played a pivotal part in the Cardinals' improbable four-run rally in the ninth inning, as his single with two outs brought home Brad Miller and Paul DeJong, the latter representing the tying run. O'Neill's two-hit effort snapped an 0-for-12 skid that had encompassed his previous three games, and it was his first multi-hit performance since Aug. 15. Despite the success Wednesday, O'Neill has a long way to go to vault his season line to respectability, as it still sits at an unsightly .179/.281/.375 through 64 plate appearances.

O'Neill (finger) will bat sixth and play left field in the afternoon portion of Wednesday's doubleheader against the Cubs.

O'Neill was supposed to start Tuesday's contest but was scratched with finger discomfort. The issue was evidently a minor one, and he'll be in the lineup for at least one game Wednesday, pushing Dylan Carlson to center and Harrison Bader to the bench.

O'Neill is dealing with right finger discomfort, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

The 25-year-old was a late scratch from Tuesday's lineup due to the injury, and he didn't make an appearance during the loss to the Cubs. O'Neill could be available for Wednesday's doubleheader since his status may be a question of pain toleration.

O'Neill is no longer starting Tuesday's game against the Cubs, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

O'Neill was penciled in to start in left field and bat cleanup Tuesday, but he was a late scratch for undisclosed reasons. Harrison Bader will enter the lineup and start in center field, shifting Dylan Carlson to left.

O'Neill went 3-for-7 with a double, home run, two RBI and one run scored across both games of the Cardinals' doubleheader against the White Sox.

O'Neill golfed an impressive home run in the fifth inning of the second game off Evan Marshall, driving an inside breaking offspeed pitch out to left field. He maintained his power production even after the Cardinals' long layoff and now has three home runs on the season. O'Neill has an impressive .273/.360/.727 line across 25 plate appearances to this point and should continue to receive plenty of playing time even in the team's crowded outfield.