Cardinals manager benches OF Tyler O'Neill after criticizing effort

April 5 (UPI) -- St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Tyler O'Neill was benched Wednesday, one day after manager Oliver Marmol criticized his effort during a loss to the Atlanta Braves.

O'Neill was absent from the Cardinals lineup ahead of their matchup against the Braves on Wednesday afternoon in St. Louis. He started in center field in four of the Cardinals' first five games of the season. He appeared in the other game as a pinch hitter and outfielder.

Dylan Carlson was listed as the Cardinals' starting center fielder in Wednesday's lineup.

Marmol took issue with O'Neill's effort when he was running the bases in the seventh inning of the Cardinals' 4-1 loss to the Braves on Tuesday in St. Louis.

O'Neill singled to left in the second at-bat of the half inning. Cardinals right fielder Jordan Walker singled in the next at-bat to move O'Neill to second base.

Cardinals designated hitter Juan Yepez flew out in the next at-bat, which brought pinch hitter Brendan Donovan to the plate.

Donovan hit relief pitcher Dylan Lee's third offering of the exchange to right field for another single. O'Neill jumped off second base and rounded third. Braves right fielder Ronald Acuna Jr. fielded the ball and threw to catcher Sean Murphy, who tagged O'Neill out as he slid near home.

"We've got a lot of guys playing really hard," Marmol told reporters Tuesday, when asked about O'Neill. "That's not our style of play as far as the effort rounding the bag there. It's unacceptable. ... Your effort is 100% until you are told not to."

O'Neill went 1 for 4 with a strikeout in the loss. He is hitting .294 with a home run and two RBIs this season. The two-time Gold Glove Award winner hit .228 with 14 home runs and 58 RBIs in 96 games last season. O'Neill hit a career-high 34 home runs in 2021.

Marmol said he already "addressed" the situation Tuesday night with the Cardinals outfielder. He reiterated his sentiment Wednesday and said O'Neill will have a chance to "show something different."

"I'm just going to continue to get my work in, get my reads in and make sure I'm getting the right jump off the bat and cutting the corners as good as I can, giving it my best effort every time," O'Neill told reporters Wednesday. "I got up through the minor leagues and into the big leagues playing hard and playing scrappy. That's who I am and that's my character. I don't ever want anyone to take that away from me.

"These conversations definitely could have been had in house. ... Should have been handled differently in my opinion, but who's to say?"

The Cardinals will face the Milwaukee Brewers at 8:10 p.m. EDT Friday in Milwaukee.