Nootbaar was removed from Thursday's game against the Nationals in the seventh inning due to a rib cage injury, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
The team stated that the move was precautionary, and Nootbaar is expected to be back in the lineup Friday versus Atlanta. While that's encouraging news, it is worth noting that the outfielder nursed a similar issue a couple weeks ago that costed him two games. Nootbaar went 1-for-3 with double and a run before departing Thursday's contest.