The Boston Red Sox begin a three-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday, but will be without a key player.

Outfielder Tyler O’Neill was taken out of the lineup due to inflammation of his left ring finger, reports Ian Browne. While it doesn’t sound like a serious problem, it was enough to keep the batter on the bench for the series opener.

The Canadian has struggled with numerous injury issues in the 2024 season. O’Neill landed on the injured list three times for injuries earlier this month due to knee inflammation, a concussion and a leg infection. While the Red Sox were visiting the Royals, he spent several nights in a Kansas City hospital. He ultimately missed 12 games because of this obscure injury. Even captain Alex Cora was surprised at how big O’Neill’s leg looked:

“I talked to (O’Neill) and he said, ‘Alex, I have no idea what happened,'” Cora said. “When JJ (athletic trainer Jon Jochim) saw him in Texas, he was in bad shape. Then, I think, the last day, his leg was huge. He was being treated and doing everything possible with the medical staff to get that under control. … It just happened. He doesn’t know. He woke up in the morning and (his leg) was big.”

Despite only playing in 84 games, O’Neill’s first season in Beantown is going well. He has a .262 batting average with 22 home runs and 46 RBIs. O’Neill has also hit 16 doubles. The 29-year-old has proven he is an important part of the Red Sox lineup when healthy.

With O’Neill out, Rob Refsnyder will start in left field on Friday. Boston has a 67-59 record this year and still has a realistic chance of making the postseason. They are just 3.5 games out of a wild card spot and are 6-4 in their last 10 games.

Quinn Allen is a senior associate editor at ClutchPoints. He specializes primarily in football, basketball, and baseball. When Quinn isn’t producing content for CP, he writes sports betting predictions for numerous websites across North America.