Almost every statement of support for Tyler O’Neill comes with one major caveat.

When president of baseball operations Mike Elias threw his belief behind the Orioles outfielder who signed the first multiyear free-agent contract since Elias joined Baltimore, he quickly acknowledged it. So did interim manager Tony Mansolino when discussing O’Neill’s potential for an influential role on the field and in the clubhouse ... “as soon as he can keep himself on the field,” Mansolino said.

“He wasn’t able to express the type of production that he’s done in his best years this year because he wasn’t available that much,” Elias said.

There’s no getting around that fact, even though the Orioles used it merely as an asterisk when describing what O’Neill could be.

When the Orioles signed O’Neill to a three-year, $49.5 million contract, the injury history was an immediate concern. And it immediately reared its head. O’Neill landed on the injured list three times this year, and he played his fewest games (54) of any season, apart from the coronavirus-shortened 2020.

In that limited time, O’Neill never found a rhythm at the plate or in the field. He produced the worst defensive season of his career, according to advanced metrics, and he hit .199 with a .684 on-base-plus-slugging percentage.

Worked into his contract was an opt-out clause he could trigger after the 2025 season, if he felt his prospects of a more appealing deal on the free-agent market were there. The dismal results, however, seemingly lock O’Neill into the full three years of his contract. It has the risk of being an albatross in Baltimore’s roster construction.

On the other hand, it could be argued it’s only up from here for O’Neill and his value to the Orioles.

“Tyler is a guy this team desperately needs in 2026, to go forward and be the guy he can be,” Mansolino said. “I don’t think there’s anybody who should judge Tyler on the 2025 season. I think we need to give him another shot, give him ’26, and we can look back at what his career has been to this point and use that as more of an evaluative tool than the unfortunate circumstances of the injury list and things that have cropped up in 2025.”

The problem with that outlook, however, is that judging O’Neill for his injury history extends far beyond the 2025 season, and it was a fear at the time of his signing. O’Neill has played more than 100 games twice in his eight-year career.

Of course, he earned the value of his current contract based on what he has done when healthy, and his 2024 performances were a promising sign. In Boston, O’Neill played 113 games and finished with 31 homers and an .847 OPS. It was just the second time in his career that he finished with more than two wins above replacement.

“I know the player that I am,” O’Neill said. “I know the way that I can produce on a day-to-day basis. The guys around me know what I can do, how I can produce, so that’s always there. I always have confidence in yourself even when things are not going good and it’s a grind.”

This was more of a grind than usual. In those 54 games this season, O’Neill accounted for a minus-0.6 WAR, meaning he was a below-average player. His defense was particularly suspect; Statcast rated him with minus-4 outs above average.

When asked about the surprisingly poor defense, considering O’Neill has won a Gold Glove Award twice, Mansolino said the stop-and-start nature of the 30-year-old’s season may have played a role. It certainly did when it came to O’Neill’s work with a bat in hand.

“It’s been an unfortunate season,” O’Neill said during the final series of the year in New York. “Just kind of the way it is. I’ve been feeling like I’m playing behind a little bit, getting back into a rhythm. Just overall, with the stops and goes and injuries and stuff, just happy to be here and be around these guys and to be playing ball again.”

His age and the stature of his contract compared to many within the Orioles clubhouse seemingly should make O’Neill one of the leaders of the club. But it’s difficult to hold that presence when one is not on the field frequently.

Mansolino said O’Neill “is unfortunately misunderstood because he wasn’t here enough, because he was hurt,” and that he has the makings of a leader.

In New York, for instance, Mansolino noticed a young player — he declined to specify — enter the tunnel from the dugout and let out his frustration out of the public eye. Mansolino descended the steps at Yankee Stadium to have a word with the player, only to find O’Neill had beaten him there.

“Tyler kind of beat me to the punch and picked the kid up,” Mansolino said. “Just kind of reminded him he was going to be all right. Those types of moments, when you see Tyler do that, gives you a good feeling. And makes you feel like, yes, he’s going to be able to do that for us here.”

The reason he hasn’t, of course, is that he hasn’t been healthy enough to do so.

When asked what his offseason will look like, the first thing O’Neill said was that he will get in the gym. “I’m going to work really hard in there,” he said. “Coming into next year, a lot of motivation to want to produce and be more available.”

“I know the player that I am. I know the way that I can produce on a day-to-day basis.”

Orioles outfielder Tyler O’Neill

Given his injury history, though, O’Neill was asked whether he has changed or will change anything about his training methods.

“It’s more like adding onto the pile, per se, and then just finding a balance of not overworking on a daily basis with certain things,” O’Neill said. “I don’t really want to get into the specifics of that, but like I said, that’s why I have experts around me who I can rely on and put myself in a good position throughout the wintertime and come into spring training strong next year.”

He almost certainly will be part of Baltimore’s plans. There’s little reason for O’Neill to opt out of his contract, after all. But, as the Orioles emphasize how big a part O’Neill can play moving forward, the asterisk remains: Will he be on the field enough for those plans to materialize?