Cardinals Demote Utility Man, Officially Bring Back Lars Nootbaar

The St. Louis Cardinals finally have Lars Nootbaar back in the mix in the majors.

Aug 31, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar (21) high fives teammates after scoring on a sacrifice fly out hit by designated hitter Ivan Herrera (not pictured) in the third inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images | Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

Over the last week, it has been clear that the St. Louis Cardinals were expecting to get outfielder Lars Nootbaar back into the mix on Friday ahead of the club's three-game series against the Cincinnati Reds.

Now, that news has been made official. The Cardinals announced the news on X on Friday afternoon.

NOOOOOOT is back!

OF Lars Nootbaar has been activated from the 60-day IL. pic.twitter.com/dSV13rvqo4

— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) June 5, 2026

Lars Nootbaar Is Back

Sep 6, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar (21) makes the catch on a fly ball to left field by San Francisco Giants catcher Patrick Bailey (14) in the second inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Vizer-Imagn Images | Tim Vizer-Imagn Images

That's not all, though. The Cardinals announced that reliever Matt Svanson has been promoted to the big league roster to replace Ryan Fernandez, who has been placed on the Injured List. Also, utility man Thomas Saggese has been optioned down to Triple-A Memphis.

"RHP Matt Svanson has been recalled from Memphis (AAA)," the Cardinals announced. "INF/OF Thomas Saggese has been optioned to Memphis. RHP Ryan Fernandez has been placed on the 15-day IL (lower back pain), retroactive to June 2."

The big news of the day, of course, is the return of Nootbaar. The Cardinals' offense certainly needs him right now. While on his minor league rehab assignment, Nootbaar slashed .257/.409/.543 with a .952 OPS, three homers, eight RBIs, nine walks, and one double in 12 games played. Nootbaar figures to come in and immediately get the lion's share of reps out in left field with Victor Scott II in center field and Jordan Walker in right field. When Nathan Church returns, there's certainly a chance we see playing time from Scott, but for now, this seems to be the outfield configuration to expect.

Losing Fernandez is a brutal blow right now for a bullpen that doesn't need another. He has pitched in just seven games, but has turned into a key piece of this bullpen with a 1.86 ERA. Part of the reason he was up in the majors was that Svanson was demoted after struggling early on. But Svanson has made four appearances in Triple-A this season and didn't allow a run. In the majors, he has an 8.77 ERA in 24 outings.

With Saggese, this move shouldn't shock anyone. Saggese hasn't been able to get consistent at-bats in the majors this season and it has impacted his production. He's batting .184 with one homer and four RBIs in 32 games in the majors. He needs a reset right now and more consistent playing time. He'll certainly get both down in Triple-A. Hopefully, it helps him bounce back because he's someone who can really help this club when his bat is going.