Aug 31, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar (21) high fives teammates after scoring on a sacrifice fly out hit by designated hitter Ivan Herrera (not pictured) in the third inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

Cardinals Finally Get Good News on Lars Nootbaar

Originally posted on St. Louis Cardinals on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Apr 12, 2026 6:56 PM ET

The St. Louis Cardinals dropped two of three games against the Boston Red Sox throughout the weekend, but there was a bit of good news.

First and foremost, Jordan Walker has continued to crush for the organization. Walker went 2-for-4 on Sunday to improve his slash line on the season to .327/.393/.745. On top of that, he hit his seventh homer of the season, which put him in sole possession of the top spot in Major League Baseball in homers.

That's not all, though. On Saturday, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reported that Lars Nootbaar is "progressing well," and the current hope with the team is that Nootbaar will return "very close" to his eligible return day after being placed on the 60-Day Injured List.

The Cardinals outfielder is working his way back

Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

"Lars Nootbaar is at Busch this weekend continuing his running progression," Jones wrote. "Sprinting, changing direction, opening hips, all in spikes. Not hitting live pitching yet but progressing well. Hope remains that he’ll come off the IL very close to his eligible date."

Nootbaar was placed on the 60-Day Injured List after undergoing surgery on both of his heels to correct Haglund’s deformities. The Cardinals' first game of the season was on March 26 against the Tampa Bay Rays. That means that the earliest that Nootbaar would be eligible to return from the Injured List would be towards the end of May.

Now, we're still over one month away from the end of May. So, don't get your hopes up yet, Cardinals fans. But it does sound like Nootbaar is progressing to the point that he could be ready to roll right around the time that he's eligible to come off the Injured List. After the two losses against Boston, the Cardinals are 8-7 on the season. They have been better than many expected them to be, despite the tough series overall against Boston.

When Nootbaar is back in the lineup, they will be a better team overall. Left field has been a bit of a struggle for St. Louis so far this season. Nathan Church has struggled offensively this season. Church is slashing .152/.200/.242 in 13 games played. José Fermín is slashing .250/.231/.250 in five games played. Thomas Saggese is slashing .243/.317/.297 in 11 games played. Saggese and Fermín can play all over the field, but Nootbaar clearly will be an upgrade when he's ready to roll. Fortunately, it sounds like we could see him when he's eligible at the end of his 60-day stint.

This article first appeared on St. Louis Cardinals on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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