Cardinals Notes: Lars Nootbaar Injury Update, Catcher Picture, Slugger Arrives

It was a busy week for the St. Louis Cardinals, to say the least.

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

The St. Louis Cardinals will wrap up a three-game series against the National League Central rival Chicago Cubs on Sunday night at Busch Stadium.

St. Louis took Game 1 on Friday night, 6-5. The Cardinals lost Game 2 on Saturday, 6-1. The Cardinals will go for the series win on Sunday with lefty Matthew Liberatore on the mound against fellow lefty Jordan Wicks. The Cubs are in second place in the National League Central at 32-27. The Cardinals are in third place in the division at 30-26. St. Louis is a half-game behind the Cubs in the division. A win on Sunday night would move the Cardinals back into second place.

It's certainly been a busy week for the Cardinals, to say the least. Before Sunday's series finale against the Cubs arrives, let's take a look back at the biggest stories of the week for the organization.

Lars Nootbaar Injury Update

Aug 5, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; St. Louis Cardinals center fielder Lars Nootbaar (21) hits a single during the fourth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Liang-Imagn Images | William Liang-Imagn Images

Lars Nootbaar is working his way back into the mix for St. Louis and is so close to finally returning to the majors. Nootbaar has played in nine games so far down in the minors on his minor league rehab assignment and is slashing .250/.379/.542 with a .921 OPS, two homers, four RBIs, five walks, and one double.

Nootbaar began his minor league rehab assignment on May 15. When a position player begins a minor league rehab assignment, there's a 20-day clock for a return. We're just days away from the clock expiring. Barring a setback, expect to see Nootbaar back in the mix next week.

Cardinals Catcher Picture

Feb 17, 2026; Jupiter, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals catcher Jimmy Crooks (8). Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images | Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

The Cardinals promoted Jimmy Crooks earlier in the week and he made his big league season debut on Saturday. It wasn't an explosive showing, by any means. He went 0-for-3 with a strikeout, but expect to see a lot more of him now.

Crooks is here to play. The current expectation is that Crooks will make at least two starts through the pitching rotation. Iván Herrera is also expected to get at least two starts behind the plate throughout the rotation. The fifth spot is up for grabs. Pedro Pagés has gotten the biggest cut for now.

Nelson Velázquez Promoted

May 29, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals designated hitter Nelson Velazquez (38) celebrates with right fielder Jordan Walker (18) after hitting a three run home run against the Chicago Cubs during the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

Nelson Velázquez looked like a star in Spring Training, but began the season down in the minors. Finally, St. Louis gave him a shot in the big leagues this week and he looked great right out of the gate. He crushed a homer in his first big league game since 2024 and went 2-for-3.

Nelson Velázquez is playing in his first Major League game in nearly two years - and he homered in his first at-bat! pic.twitter.com/J0NEDXKC6o

— MLB (@MLB) May 29, 2026

St. Louis has needed a spark and Velázquez can be that guy off the bench, especially with Nootbaar approaching his return.