ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Tyler O’Neill leads the Red Sox with 31 home runs but is fourth in runs batted in with 61.
Wait . . . what?
O’Neill is having one of the oddest seasons in team history. With the exception of Félix Mantilla in 1964, every Red Sox player who has hit at least 30 home runs has driven in at least 80 runs.
Mantilla hit a career-high 30 homers and drove in 64 runs in 1964 for a team that lost 90 games. O’Neill is on pace to drive in 65.
“It’s weird, right?” Sox manager Alex Cora said before a 2-1 victory against the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday night.
O’Neill has 20 solo home runs, so he must not be producing with men on base, right?
Not so fast. He has an .858 OPS with runners on base and a .923 OPS with runners in scoring position.
“I don’t have an answer for it,” O’Neill said. “I’m just trying to do the job and hit the ball hard. I’ve always considered myself to be in scoring position when I’m at the plate anyway. "
Statistical abnormalities aside, this has been a comeback season for O’Neill.
He hit .210 with a .707 OPS with the Cardinals from 2022-23 and missed 150 games with a series of injuries. The Sox sent two marginal pitching prospects to St. Louis for O’Neill in December and he has been one of their best hitters.
“The guy, he’s intense. He really impacts the ball,” Cora said.
O’Neill also has been relatively healthy. He missed six games in April with concussion symptoms after colliding with third baseman Rafael Devers. Then there was a 12-game absence in August with a leg infection.
Cora also has been careful to give O’Neill days off to take care of minor injuries or just to rest.
“I’m pretty proud of how far I’ve come this year,” O’Neill said. “I’ve dealt with some adversity along the way, but I’ve been able to bounce back.”
O’Neill credits Cora looking out for him and a warm-up routine that can take up to an hour.
“It’s a lot more intense than in the past,” O’Neill said. “Just making sure everything’s activated and firing the right way. There’s a lot of work in the trainer’s room and everything is communicated with the medical staff and AC so we’re all on the same page.
“It’s really good communication here and that has been important.”
O’Neill has started 53 games in left field and 34 in right. He has played both positions in the same game 25 times, his versatility making it easier for Cora to manage the lineup.
“It can be a challenge, especially at Fenway because left field is so much different than right field,” O’Neill said. “But I feel like I see the ball really well in the corners.
“I’ve had to do a little extra homework than I would in the past to get myself set. It’s a challenge, but the in-game adjustments have worked out pretty well.”
The metrics show him to be a little below average defensively and Cora believes O’Neill could be better than he has shown. But his pregame work has been limited in the interest of avoiding injury.
“This year has been on and off. He knows that,” Cora said. “He can be better — and he is better, to be honest. We know that.
“Taking care of his legs was a priority because you have to take care of his body. It’s a fine line.”
O’Neill will be a free agent after the season. He would welcome the opportunity to return to the Sox.
“Really enjoy the city of Boston. It’s an awesome fit,” O’Neill said. “If I get the chance to come back to Boston, it’s definitely something I’d be interested in.
“Good group of guys, good team chemistry. They’re obviously defined their winning window by signing Cora [to a three-year extension]. They’re serious about winning, so we’ll see what happens.”
With top prospect Roman Anthony likely to make his debut in 2025 and outfielders Wilyer Abreu, Jarren Duran, and Ceddanne Rafaela on the roster, it’s uncertain how O’Neill would fit.
But trades could change the equation during what should be an eventual offseason and open the door to a return.
“We like him a whole lot,” Cora said.
Peter Abraham can be reached at peter.abraham@globe.com. Follow him on Bluesky at peteabeglobe.bsky.social.