Cardinals Lose Fan-Favorite, What's Next For St. Louis?

The St. Louis Cardinals have had some rough luck injury-wise recently.

The trend continued on Sunday, although there was also good news for the Cardinals. St. Louis lost outfielder Lars Nootbaar to the Injured List due to a left costochondral sprain, but also got Iván Herrera back into the mix. The club made the announcement early on Sunday.

"C/DH Iván Herrera has been activated from the 10-day IL," the team announced. "OF Lars Nootbaar has been placed on the 10-day Injured List (left costochondral sprain)."

Nootbaar has had an up-and-down season to this point. The 27-year-old is slashing .227/.332/.381 with 12 homers, 37 RBIs, four stolen bases, 15 doubles, and 50 runs scored in 88 games played. The Cardinals' outfield has specifically taken a hit this season and this is just the latest example.

On the bright side, Herrera is back. Before going down, Herrera was slashing .320/.392/.533 with eight home runs, 36 RBIs, eight doubles, and 22 runs scored in 42 games played.

The Cardinals entered play on Sunday with a 50-46 record ahead of their final game of the first half of the season against the Atlanta Braves. St. Louis will have a few days to rest up before returning on Friday, July 18th. Unfortunately, the Cardinals are going to have to wait longer to get Nootbaar back in the lineup.

The Cardinals have had some bad luck recently and it can't come at a worst time with the trade deadline approaching.