O'Neill: Red Sox don't have dumbbells heavy enough for me to max out

The Boston Red Sox added some strength to their lineup this offseason in the form of Tyler O’Neill. O’Neill was acquired from the St. Louis Cardinals back in December and is looking to make an impact during his first season in Boston.

O’Neill joined Rob Bradford on the Audacy original podcast “Baseball Isn’t Boring” to discuss his favorite workouts and how he’s getting ready for the season.

“I’m a sucker for bench press and dumbbell press and stuff,” O’Neill said (11:30 in player above). “I’m just a sucker for it. I think upper-body strength is underlooked a little bit, but that’s coming from me. For me, that’s been my M.O.”

O’Neill has had injury issues in the past two seasons causing him to only play in 168 games over the last two years. However, he hit 34 home runs in the 2021 season – nearly half of the 78 home runs in his major league career.

“I feel like you have to have a strong base and then you can go from there. Thankfully, I’ve naturally had good swing mechanics and stuff where I’ve been able to pair the two when I was getting scouted and whatnot,” he said. “Now, of course, I know a lot more about mechanics and biomechanics and getting my body ready the right way and what I specifically need compared to other guys. For me, I got to get in, I got to get my dumbbell press in and do that s–t.”

A lot of players claim to be in the “best shape of their lives” in spring training but it may actually be true for O’Neill. He’s been working all offseason to start strong in Boston.

“Bench press is good. I’ve kind of leaned away from bench press a little bit and gotten more into dumbbell press. I just feel like the range of motion, freedom for my shoulder to move. It just puts me in a better position,” he explained. “I can get the same rush, the same thrill, the same exhilaration. It’s the same thing.”

“They don’t have dumbbells heavy enough here for me to max out,” he said. “Unfortunately.”

Neither did St. Louis, though.

“They have 120s here. 120s are alright,” O’Neill said. “I can get 150s up.”

O’Neill is hoping that his strength and training can lead to health and success in Boston.