SARASOTA, Fla. — Let the record show that Tyler O’Neill is still perhaps the most muscular player on the Orioles’ roster. The outfielder and son of a former “Mr. Canada” bodybuilder can put on a show in the batter’s box, as has been the case early in spring training. A barrage of loud contact has exploded off his bat every batting practice session.
But O’Neill showed up to camp this year looking noticeably slimmer, a fact that he acknowledged Tuesday after making flexibility and mobility training more consistent components of his workout routine over the offseason to improve his range of motion and cut down on injuries.
“I know I’ve been working really hard in the weight room and conditioning program throughout the offseason,” O’Neill said. “What’s most important to me is how I’m feeling. I’m feeling fast, feeling strong. The scale or the looks might be what they are, but obviously I’m training for functionality and to be a baseball player. I think I have really good flexibility and mobility right now. I just like where my body is at a lot.”
O’Neill, 30, said that he feels more “limber and mobile” than he has in years. The slugger played just 54 games last season, landing on the injured list three times with neck inflammation, a shoulder impingement and wrist inflammation, respectively. He played through several injuries even when on the field and it showed in his production, as he finished with a .199/.292/.392 slash line and nine home runs.
Injuries have been a common theme throughout his career — O’Neill has never played more than 138 games in a season and only twice broken 100 — but when healthy, he’s been a prolific power hitter. He blasted 31 homers with the Boston Red Sox in 2024, leading to his three-year deal with Baltimore last winter, and hit 34 in 2021 for the St. Louis Cardinals.
“T.O. is jacked,” manager Craig Albernaz said. “Wearing a sleeveless shirt yesterday? Yeah, he can. But he takes care of his body. He has, just like any player, as you get wear and tear, you play this game, there’s always adjustments to either your diet, your mobility work, just like hitting or pitching, you always make adjustments. … He looks really good out there, moving well in the outfield yesterday. He looks really good in the box swinging it. So, yeah, I expect Tyler, and I think [he does too that] he’s going to have a big year this year.”
Orioles’ Tyler O’Neill with some loud contact during batting practice.
O’Neill would be a huge boost for the Baltimore offense if he can stay healthy this season. pic.twitter.com/BZnb7X0TiW
— Matt Weyrich (@ByMattWeyrich) February 14, 2026
Statcast’s batted ball data suggested that the power was still there last season despite his low homer total. His barrel rate (how often he hit the ball at an optimal exit velocity and launch angle) was 10.5% last season, good for 17th in MLB among players with at least 200 plate appearances. All 16 players ahead of him finished with 24 home runs or more.
The stretching and agility work aren’t anything new for O’Neill, but rather a more disciplined commitment he made as part of a mental reset after a frustrating season.
“The stop and go of being hurt and not playing baseball kind of affected my routine and obviously affected my mentality and just the day to day for me,” O’Neill said. “So, this year I’m really focusing hard on just being in a consistent routine, staying where my feet are, focusing on the day and not getting outside my body, I guess. Thinking about the future, things going on around me that I can’t control, just really focusing on things that I can do today to make myself the best player that I can possibly be.”
O’Neill had a player option looming last year, and it became a no-brainer for him to opt back into the remaining two years and $33 million left on his deal after missing so much time with injury. Though he will have to fend off top outfield prospect Dylan Beavers for playing time in right field, O’Neill’s future is at least more clear for the next couple of seasons and he’s had a full year to get comfortable in Baltimore.
Albernaz said that the Orioles haven’t placed any limitations on O’Neill right now and they’ll see how he makes it through spring training as well as the World Baseball Classic, which he’ll participate in as a member of Team Canada, before making any decisions.
“I think that’s where I’m trying to learn him,” Albernaz said. “He’s trying to learn me. He knows his body better than anyone else. So, it’s going to be constant conversations with all of our players, but Tyler in this case, and also kind of our medical staff and training room staff, how he’s feeling. So, depends how Tyler is feeling and we’ll go from there.”
O’Neill has carried over his regimen into spring. His work in the weight room is still the primary focus of his workouts, but he feels that he struck the right balance with mobility training and activating exercises to put himself in position for a healthier season.
“Honestly, just being really, really stringent on staying on the routine, not taking off from that,” O’Neill said when asked what he’s done to improve his mobility. “There’s obviously an effective diminishing returns over the course of consecutive days. It’s good to take a break once in a while, but I’m really focused on what I need to do and understanding what has worked well for me in the past and how my body is feeling on the day-to-day basis.”
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