The St. Louis Cardinals' outfield may be back at full strength in the near future.
St. Louis has been without the services of starter Lars Nootbaar since he jammed his thumb on Opening Day but it sounds like he may be back in the lineup very soon. Nootbaar reportedly will swing a bat for the first time since injuring his thumb in the club's first game of the season Monday, according to The Athletic's Katie Woo.
"Housekeeping thread: Lars Nootbaar will swing the bat Monday for the first time since jamming his thumb on Opening Day," Woo said. "Doesn't sound like he'll be active for the Denver series, but how he recovers Monday will help dictate when he can return during the next homestand."
When Nootbaar is ready to return to the lineup, he will be a major lift for the Cardinals. Nootbaar started the season as St. Louis' starting left fielder to go along with Tyler O'Neill in center field and top prospect Jordan Walker in right field. The 25-year-old appeared poised to be the Cardinals' fourth outfielder in 2022, but ascended into the starting lineup and appeared poised to take another step forward this season.
Nootbaar impressed in his first full season in 2022 slashing .228/.340/.448 to go along with 14 home runs and 40 RBIs. The young outfielder added 16 doubles, three triples, and 53 runs scored in 108 games played for the Cardinals. An outfield featuring a fully healthy trio of Nootbaar, Walker, and O'Neill is a very formidable outfield.
The Cardinals haven't gotten off to the start they had hoped for and are 3-6 through nine games, but Nootbaar's imminent return could be something that helps jumpstart the club.
There's no way for sure to know when he will return or how he will respond when he does so, but Nootbaar should help out the Cardinals this season sooner rather than later.
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