ST. LOUIS — The Orioles are losing Tyler O’Neill to the injured list. The outfielder has a rotator cuff strain, he said Wednesday.

O’Neill, who underwent imaging Tuesday, said in the clubhouse Wednesday he hopes to return before the end of the season, but he acknowledged he must rest his shoulder to allow inflammation to settle first.

The official injury designation from the Orioles is that O’Neill is dealing with right shoulder inflammation, prompting his trip to the 10-day injured list. The IL stint is retroactive to Sunday, but there isn’t a clear timeline for his return.

“I’m really disappointed,” O’Neill said. “All I do is try to go out and play a hard game every single day and give it my best effort, and this is unfortunately the result of playing hard sometimes. I’m just going to do my best to manage it and rehab it.”

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The Orioles promoted infielder Luis Vázquez to take O’Neill’s spot. Vázquez was in St. Louis on the taxi squad. He plays strong defense at second base, shortstop and third base.

“His infield defense is real,” manager Craig Albernaz said. “He can do some things, too, at the plate. He can handle the bat; he can bunt. He brings that aspect to the game as well. But the way he can play the infield at all three spots is definitely a great benefit for us.”

O’Neill’s injury stems from a game-saving diving catch Saturday against the Tampa Bay Rays. With a runner on second and two outs, his dive to rob a hit allowed the Orioles to push the game to extra innings. Once there, Baltimore won.

That was one of several nice defensive plays from O’Neill during that game. It coincided with an upturn in his offensive production over the last several months.

“I’d do it again. I’d do it again for these guys. It was a big situation, and that ball had to get caught or the run was going to score,” O’Neill said. “Turned into a win. Obviously, really frustrating, though, personally, having to deal with this.”

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O’Neill is hitting .212 with a .677 on-base-plus-slugging percentage this year, but his performances have been strong since July. In those 34 games, he has hit .255 with a .859 OPS.

O’Neill hasn’t found consistent success since joining the Orioles on a three-year contract before last season. He was held to 54 games last year, and his concussion in April this year forced him to miss more time. But overall he had been healthy this season until this shoulder strain.

This marks the fifth time O’Neill has landed on the injured list since joining the Orioles ahead of the 2025 season. He has been on the injured list 19 times in his career.

Without O’Neill, the Orioles will lean more heavily on Christian Franklin and Leody Taveras as right-handed outfield bats against left-handed pitchers. Blaze Alexander, the utility fielder who is rehabbing from a broken hand, is playing center field Wednesday for Triple-A Norfolk. He’s also an option to receive outfield at-bats against lefties.

In the clubhouse before Wednesday’s game, O’Neill expressed his disappointment at his latest injury. It is poor timing, considering how well he has played of late. But, more than anything, he doesn’t want this to change how he approaches the game.

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“The plays he’s made, all season, he has made really good diving catches, putting his body on the line,” Albernaz said. “That’s baseball. We play every day. You don’t know which play is going to do something. ... T.O., to do what he did, it was a huge play in the game. He literally took over that game defensively. That’s why it’s a big blow for us. But that’s the type of player and competitor T.O. is, and to have that veteran leadership in the clubhouse and out on the field is something we’re going to miss.”

This article has been updated.