Cardinals Taking No Chances With JJ Wetherholt With Groin Pain

The St. Louis Cardinals had one of their better nights of the 2026 season so far on Friday night at Busch Stadium.

St. Louis welcomed the Cincinnati Reds to town to kick off a three-game series and the Cardinals came out on top, 10-3. It was a great game for the club overall. Alec Burleson smacked a homer and improved his season batting average to .291. Jordan Walker collected three base hits in the win. Hunter Dobbins pitched five innings in the bullpen behind Kyle Leahy and allowed just four base hits and zero runs, while striking out six batters. Also, of course, outfielder Lars Nootbaar returned to the field for the first time this season for St. Louis in the majors.

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

He wasted no time getting into the mix as well. Nootbaar went 2-for-6 in the win and drove in one run.

*inhales*

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT!! pic.twitter.com/TdCkaD3CEQ
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) June 6, 2026

JJ Wetherholt Update

May 30, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong (4) is safe from St. Louis Cardinals second baseman JJ Wetherholt (26) during the third inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Le-Imagn Images | Jeff Le-Imagn Images

There was one notable omission in the lineup, though. That was second baseman JJ Wetherholt. The star rookie didn't play in the club's series finale against the Texas Rangers on Wednesday and wasn't in the lineup on Friday either. When reports surfaced on Wednesday about Wetherholt missing that contest, the initial hope was that he'd be back on Friday. But Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that Wetherholt is dealing with groin pain and had tests done, but fortunately, there's no "structural damage or concern."

"JJ Wetherholt is sidelined by groin pain," Goold wrote on X. "Had scans taken that did not reveal any structural damage or concern. He’s getting at least [Friday] off, maybe [Saturday]. 'Not going to push through and lose him first weeks,' says [manager] Oli Marmol."

So, now we wait to see if he is back in the lineup on Saturday. The Cardinals have an early one with the first pitch scheduled for 1:15 p.m. CDT. So, the lineup will come out during the morning and there should be an update afterward before the game.

Friday was a massive bright spot for the team, with Nootbaar not only returning but also immediately showing the impact that he can have on this club. But now we wait to see if Wetherholt can follow and return to the lineup. There's no long-term cause for concern, as Goold pointed out, now it's just waiting to see how long it takes for him to be in the mix. When Wetherholt returns, the Cardinals' lineup is going to be very dangerous from top to bottom with Nootbaar back in the mix.

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