Red Sox’ Tyler O’Neill details infection that put him in 2 hospitals 

Red Sox outfielder Tyler O’Neill still isn’t cleared to return to Boston’s lineup, with the slugging right-handed batter on the mend since August 2 due to a myriad of medical woes. 

A stomach bug initially sidelined O’Neill earlier this month, with his absence extended by an infection in his left leg.

Beyond the unfortunate timing for a player who has battled the injury bug throughout his career, that leg infection required O’Neill to be hospitalized for five days — across two different states. 

Despite traveling with his teammates to Kansas City for a series that started on Aug. 5, O’Neill ultimately spent two days in a nearby hospital dealing with severe swelling in his leg. 

“I just woke up, my leg was blown up and totally unexpected, no idea how it happened,” O’Neill told Alex Speier of The Boston Globe. “Had to get on antibiotics right away, get on a drip for a little bit, and just thankful for everyone that was involved to help me get back on the right foot.”

O’Neill ultimately managed to recover in time to travel back to Boston with the rest of his teammates on Aug. 7. But the 29-year-old outfielder was not out of the woods quite yet — with the infection sprouting up again upon his return to Massachusetts. That sudden setback prompted team doctors to admit him to Massachusetts General Hospital on Saturday. 

“Pretty scary there for a couple of days,” O’Neill told MassLive’s Sean McAdam. “I just got out of the hospital (Tuesday). I’m feeling a lot better. I’m happy to be back with my teammates. It feels good being around the clubhouse and being around the guys again.”

O’Neill is back with the team and plans to traveling with the Red Sox to Baltimore late Wednesday night, but it remains to be seen when he’ll be activated off the IL. Boston could use O’Neill’s pop in the lineup; the free-agent pickup has clubbed 22 home runs over 80 games so far this season. 

“(Tuesday) was my first day in the field, just moving around a little bit,” O’Neill said. “I haven’t been able to do any physical activity. I’ve been in bed for five days. It was good to get moving around a little bit yesterday. Today, I start baseball activities. I’m going to do my routine in the cage, I’m going play some light catch, I’m going run a little bit and see how everything’s feeling and see how my body responds off of that. 

“And just go day-by-day and just try to build my strength back up. I’m down a couple of pounds, so just make sure I’m in a good spot before I come back and back in there playing every day.”