Cardinals Fan Favorite Suffers Notable Injury, Placing Opening Day Status In Jeopardy
The St. Louis Cardinals entered the offseason with some of the best outfield depth in Major League Baseball but have been facing some adversity since.
Just weeks away from Opening Day, the position group does not have nearly as much firepower due to a pair of injuries to impact players as well as the trade of Tyler O'Neill to the Boston Red Sox.
"Lars Nootbaar, the Cardinals' projected starter in left field and a top young player the club is hoping will make a major leap offensively in the season ahead, is expected to miss the next two weeks of spring training with two nondisplaced rib fractures on his left side," MLB.com's John Denton wrote Friday.
Nootbar had been dealing with the soreness for almost a week before finally getting imagery done and eventually discovering the severity of his injury.
It's hard to imagine that Nootbar could do much of anything while he recovers -- seeing as swinging, throwing and running would all be painful acts with fractured ribs -- but the team is not ready to fully shut him down and holding out hope that he could be ready for Opening Day.
“He has to get to the point where he is pain-free,” Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak said. “He has to get to the point where -- and this could take 10 to 14 days -- where he won’t have any traumatic injury to that area. You won’t see him playing in the field because you don’t want to see him diving.”
Meanwhile, the Cardinals projected starting center fielder and key utility man Tommy Edman was deemed "doubtful" to make the Opening Day roster by Mozeliak as he recovers from offseason wrist surgery.
Edman was on track to be ready for the start of the regular season but suffered a setback earlier in spring training that set him off course.
If the Cardinals are without Nootbar and Edman, St. Louis will have to lean on a young core of Jordan Walker, Dylan Carlson and Alec Burleson to open the year. Versatile Brandon Donovan could factor into the mix in a pinch as well.
Ideally, Nootbar recovers quickly and is ready for Opening Day with Edman not far behind.
More MLB: Mariners Sign Rumored Cardinals Free-Agent Target To Bolster Bullpen
