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The St. Louis Cardinals lineup is struggling to score runs as manager Oli Marmol continues to shuffle hitters around, hoping for better results.

In today's double-header against the Detroit Tigers, Marmol has benched prospect Michael Siani and put Lars Nootbaar in center field to accommodate for the lack of offensive production from players in that position this season.

With run scoring being the biggest problem for the Cardinals right now, it's painful to see a former St. Louis outfielder slugging like never before.

Boston Red Sox outfielder Tyler O'Neill is off to the hottest season of his career at the plate after being traded by the Cardinals this past offseason in exchange for right-handed pitchers Nick Robertson and Victor Santos.

O'Neill is batting .329 with 10 extra-base hits including nine home runs, 12 RBIs and a staggering 1.176 OPS in 70 at-bats for the Red Sox so far this season.

The Cardinals traded O'Neill because they had a logjam of outfielders and felt it would be better, in the long run, to trade him for pitching depth.

With the absence of Dylan Carlson and utility man Tommy Edman due to injuries and the demotion of rising star Jordan Walker, the Cardinals' outfield plans have not gone so well in 2024.

It hurts to see O'Neill excelling for another team when St. Louis' lineup is struggling so badly. This wouldn't be the first time that St. Louis has traded away a player, only to have him dominate for his new team.

Hopefully, Edman and Carlson will return from their injuries soon to help the Cardinals' offense turn things around and perhaps lead the team out of last place in the National League Central.

This article first appeared on FanNation Inside The Cardinals and was syndicated with permission.

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