Nootbaar (cramps) will start in right field and bat leadoff in Monday's game against the Marlins.
Nootbaar was forced out late in Sunday's 8-4 loss to the Yankees after dealing with some muscle cramping, but he was able to make enough progress overnight for the Cardinals to clear him to rejoin the lineup for the start of a three-game set in Miami. The 27-year-old had made each of his previous three starts in left field but will shift over to right Monday while Jordan Walker gets the evening off.
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Cardinals' Lars Nootbaar: Returns from IL
Rotowire
The Cardinals reinstated Nootbaar (ribs) from the injured list Saturday.
Nootbaar has been on the injured list since mid-July with a left costochondral sprain but has played three rehab games in Double-A, going 4-for-14 with an RBI and a run scored. Now fully recovered, he'll reclaim an everyday role in the Cardinals' outfield and replace Jose Fermin on the active roster.
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Cardinals' Lars Nootbaar: Embarking on rehab assignment
Rotowire
Nootbar (ribs) will begin his rehab assignment with Double-A Springfield on Wednesday, John Denton of MLB.com reports.
Nootbaar landed on the 10-day injured list just before the All-Star break due to a left costochondral sprain. He was initially limited to light tee work, but he has progressed enough in his recovery to get back on the field on a rehab assignment. Nootbaar could be back with the big club in early August, depending on how his injury reacts to a larger workload.
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Cardinals' Lars Nootbaar: Rehab games around corner
Rotowire
Nootbaar (ribs) could begin a rehab assignment early next week, Daniel Guerrero of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
Nootbaar began a hitting progression with soft toss and tee work Wednesday and looks to be trending in the right direction as he comes back from a left costochondral sprain. The outfielder has been sidelined since just before the All-Star break and shouldn't require too many rehab games before rejoining the Cardinals' active roster.
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Cardinals' Lars Nootbaar: Unable to swing without discomfort
Rotowire
Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak said Monday that Nootbaar has not been able to swing a bat without feeling discomfort in his left ribcage, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
The team had hoped Nootbaar would be ready to begin a hitting progression Monday, but it appears the outfielder is not ready for that yet. A timetable for Nootbaar's return won't become clear until he's able to ramp things up without pain. Nootbaar landed on the 10-day injured list just over a week ago with a left costochondral sprain, an injury which had kept him in and out of the lineup since late June.
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Cardinals' Lars Nootbaar: Shelved with rib sprain
Rotowire
St. Louis placed Nootbaar on the 10-day injured list Sunday due to a left costochondral sprain.
Nootbaar will be sidelined through at least July 23 after he was removed from Saturday's 7-6 loss to Atlanta due to side discomfort. The outfielder had also been lifted from a game two days earlier due to the same issue, so the Cardinals opted to give him some extra time off. St. Louis activated Ivan Herrera (hamstring) from the IL in a corresponding move.
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Cardinals' Lars Nootbaar: Pulled with side discomfort
Rotowire
Nootbaar was removed from Saturday's game against Atlanta due to left side discomfort, John Denton of MLB.com reports.
Nootbaar has been dealing with a ribcage/intercostal injury over the past several weeks, which may have had something to do with his early removal Saturday. With the All-Star break quickly approaching, the Cardinals could look to get the 27-year-old an extra day of rest and sit him for Sunday's first-half finale.
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Cardinals' Lars Nootbaar: In lineup Friday
Rotowire
Nootbaar (ribs) is batting fifth and playing left field Friday against Atlanta.
Nootbaar was lifted from Thursday's game to get checked out for a rib injury, but he's back in the starting nine Friday. The 27-year-old is slashing .230/.334/.387 with 12 home runs in 380 plate appearances this season.
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Cardinals' Lars Nootbaar: Returns to lineup Tuesday
Rotowire
Nootbaar (intercostal) will start in left field and bat seventh in Tuesday's game against the Pirates.
Nootbaar missed the last two contests after aggravating a left intercostal injury, but he took batting practice Monday and is feeling well enough to give it a go in the second game of the series. The outfielder is slashing .227/.334/.381 with 11 home runs in 78 contests this season.
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Cardinals' Lars Nootbaar: IL decision could come Tuesday
Rotowire
Nootbaar (intercostal) was slated to take batting practice Monday to determine whether he'd be available to play Tuesday or require a longer absence, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
Nootbaar was given a pain-killing shot last week to combat a left intercostal issue and he hasn't played since aggravating the injury on a check swing in Saturday's game versus the Guardians. Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol noted Monday before Nootbaar was slated to take batting practice that the outfielder "said it's feeling a little better." If it's determined Tuesday that Nootbaar isn't ready to play, the Cardinals could place him on the 10-day injured list. Brendan Donovan has been in left field and Thomas Saggese has handled second base the last two games with Nootbaar unavailable.
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Cardinals' Lars Nootbaar: Likely out until Tuesday
Rotowire
Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said that Nootbaar will likely remain out of the lineup until at least Tuesday while the outfielder manages a left intercostal injury, Daniel Guerrero of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
Nootbaar has been in and out of the lineup over the past week due to the injury, which he appeared to aggravate during a check swing in Saturday's 9-6 win over the Guardians. The left-handed-hitting outfielder sat out Sunday's 7-0 victory while Cleveland sent lefty Logan Allen to the bump, and it makes sense for the Cardinals to hold him out again Monday versus the Pirates while southpaw Andrew Heaney takes the hill for Pittsburgh. While the Cardinals seem hopeful that Nootbaar will be ready to go Tuesday, a stint on the 10-day injured list can't be ruled out, given the nature of the injury.
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Cardinals' Lars Nootbaar: Back in lineup
Rotowire
Nootbaar (side) is batting fifth and playing left field Friday against Cleveland.
Nootbaar missed back-to-back games with an intercostal injury, but he's feeling well enough to start Friday. He's riding a six-game hit streak, going 7-for-22 (.318) with three home runs and a 4:6 BB:K during that stretch.
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Cardinals' Lars Nootbaar: Dealing with intercostal injury
Rotowire
Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said that Nootbaar was unavailable Wednesday and again Thursday after receiving a pain-killing shot to combat an intercostal injury, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.
It explains why Nootbaar is absent from the lineup for a second straight day Thursday. The Cardinals are optimistic that they caught the injury early and expect Nootbaar to be ready to return to the lineup Friday when they begin a road trip in Cleveland.
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Cardinals' Lars Nootbaar: Out against left-hander
Rotowire
Nootbaar is absent from the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Cubs.
The left-handed-hitting Nootbaar typically plays against left-handed pitching, but he will begin Wednesday's contest on the bench as the Cubs send southpaw Matthew Boyd to the bump. Fellow left-handed-swinger Brendan Donovan will patrol left field for the Cardinals.
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Cardinals' Lars Nootbaar: Out of lineup again Wednesday
Rotowire
Nootbaar is absent from the lineup for Wednesday's contest versus the White Sox.
Nootbaar was out of the lineup Saturday and Sunday in Milwaukee as he battles through a slump at the plate. He returned to action Tuesday, going 0-for-3 with a walk and a run scored, and now finds himself back on the bench Wednesday. The Cardinals will turn to Brendan Donovan in left field and Nolan Gorman at second base.
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Cardinals' Lars Nootbaar: Set to rejoin lineup Tuesday
Rotowire
Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said he expects Nootbaar to rejoin the lineup Tuesday versus the White Sox, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. "Just meet-us-in-Chicago-type thing," Marmol said. "Take a breather and let's get back on track. He'll find his way out of this."
Before sitting Saturday and Sunday, Nootbaar had gone 1-for-27 with 15 strikeouts -- including the first two four-strikeout games of his career -- over the previous six games, all Cardinals losses. Marmol is hoping that with two days out of the lineup plus Monday's off day, Nootbaar will be ready to reclaim the starting job in left field, though it's less certain if he'll resume leadoff duties right away. Brendan Donovan (toe) will serve as the Cardinals' table setter Sunday in his own return from a four-game absence.
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Cardinals' Lars Nootbaar: Day off amidst struggles
Rotowire
Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said Friday that Nootbaar will not be in the lineup Saturday in Milwaukee, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.
For the second time in three games, Nootbaar went 0-for-5 with four strikeouts Friday. Across the last five contests, Nootbaar is 0-for-23 with 13 strikeouts, dropping his season OPS below .700 (.690) for the first time this season. Marmol indicated that he is considering moving Nootbaar out of the leadoff spot for a while, although he didn't commit to it.
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Cardinals' Lars Nootbaar: Stays hot with homer
Rotowire
Nootbaar went 2-for-5 with a solo home run, an additional RBI and two total runs scored in a 14-7 win over the Phillies in Game 2 of Wednesday's doubleheader.
Nootbaar went 1-for-3 with a walk in the day game as well, extending his hitting streak to seven games. He has gone 11-for-30 (.367) during the streak, adding two homers, two doubles and six RBI. The outfielder continues to see steady playing time as the near-everyday left fielder and leadoff hitter. He's batting .256 with an .808 OPS, seven homers, 24 RBI, 28 runs scored and four stolen bases over 43 contests. The production isn't all that different from previous seasons, but he could hit some career highs just by staying healthy.
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Cardinals' Lars Nootbaar: Taking seat Friday
Rotowire
Nootbaar is absent from the lineup for Friday's tilt against the Mets.
With southpaw David Peterson toeing the slab for the Mets, Nootbaar will be given a day of rest. Victor Scott has been elevated to the leadoff spot and will play left field, while Michael Siani receives a start in center field.
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Cardinals' Lars Nootbaar: Smacks three-run homer
Rotowire
Nootbaar went 1-for-3 with a three-run homer and two walks in Wednesday's 4-1 win over the Astros.
Nootbaar's third homer of the year proved to be the difference in Wednesday's win -- he launched a Ronel Blanco curveball 418 feet to center field in the fifth inning, putting St. Louis ahead 3-1. Nootbaar had a strong series against the Astros, going 4-for-9 with three extra-base hits in three games. He's now batting .284 with an .885 OPS, 10 RBI, 12 runs scored and a pair of stolen bases through his first 83 plate appearances this season.
