The Red Sox will have a tough decision to make about one of their best sluggers

The Boston Red Sox got one of their best sluggers back in the lineup this week but there’s certainly a chance he doesn’t spend the whole season with the club.

Boston acquired longtime St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Tyler O’Neill in a trade this past offseason and he has been great so far for the Red Sox. Although this is the case, he will be a free agent at the end of the season and it’s uncertain whether he will stick around in Boston for the foreseeable future.

If the Red Sox aren’t in contention for a playoff spot around the trade deadline, he easily could be an option to bring prospects back to Boston. If that ends up being the case, one team that has been floated as an option for O’Neill is the Philadelphia Phillies by Bleacher Report’s Tim Kelly.

“Tyler O’Neill recently went on the seven-day injured list with a concussion after colliding with third baseman Rafael Devers on a fly ball. Prior to that, though, O’Neill had been performing at a very high level for the Boston Red Sox,” Kelly said. “Acquired in an offseason trade with the St. Louis Cardinals following a pair of injury-plagued seasons, O’Neill was slashing .313/.459/.750 with seven home runs and a 1.209 OPS in 15 games…

“The Phillies are a team that makes sense as a landing spot. Center fielder Johan Rojas is an elite defender whose bat has improved of late, but by late-July, it may be apparent he still needs more seasoning offensively at Triple-A. The Phillies also need more right-handed thump in their lineup.”

O’Neill has been great for Boston and it would make sense to give him a new deal if he can continue to perform at this rate. Hopefully the Red Sox continue to find ways to rack up wins and keep O’Neill in Bsoton.