Cardinals make Lars Nootbaar decision amid injury recovery

The St. Louis Cardinals are preparing to begin a three-game series with the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday afternoon. Meanwhile, Lars Nootbaar is continuing to recover from injury, as he underwent surgery on both heels during the offseason. Nootbaar is currently on a rehab assignment. On Monday, Derrick Goold shared a Nootbaar update as the outfielder continues to work his way back from injury.

“Heads up, Springfield. #stlcards plan is to have Lars Nootbaar shift his rehab assignment to Class AA affiliate in the coming days. He continues his (non-linear) climb toward the majors, and will be driving distance away when #Cardinals return home,” Goold reported.

The update suggests that Nootbaar is getting closer to returning to the Cardinals. St. Louis is proceeding with caution and it remains to be seen when he will ultimately make his 2026 regular season debut, but Nootbaar could potentially return fairly soon.

The 28-year-old is not a star, but he has been an impactful player in his career. In 2025, Nootbaar hit .234 with a .686 OPS and 13 home runs across 135 games played.

The Cardinals have performed well despite his injury absence so far this season. At 29-22 overall, the ball club is currently in second place in the National League Central standings, where they trail the Milwaukee Brewers by 1.5 games.

St. Louis will look to advance in the standings this week against Milwaukee. It should be a competitive series between the NL Central rivals. First pitch for the ball game on Monday afternoon is scheduled for 2:10 PM EST in Milwaukee.