Cardinals Have Plenty to Think About With Lars Nootbaar Update

The St. Louis Cardinals took significant steps towards finalizing its Opening Day roster on Monday.

The Cardinals already finalized the starting rotation and bullpen this past weekend. St. Louis entered the final before the regular season kicks off still needing to sort out the position players. On Monday, the club did that for the most part. The Cardinals announced that No. 1 prospect JJ Wetherholt officially made the big league club and will be with the team on Opening Day. Left field has been a question mark for the team and the Cardinals found their answer with Thomas Saggese, Nathan Church and José Fermín all making the team and Nelson Velázquez heading down to the minors.

St. Louis has two days left until Opening Day and there aren't many things to sort out any longer. One question the club still has is how long Lars Nootbaar will be out, but it's known that he won't be ready for Opening Day. But how long could he be out? Cardinals president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom noted on Monday that the team will be thinking about that over the next few days when asked if he needs a stint on the 60-Day Injured List, as shared on X by Jeff Jones of Belleville News-Democrat.

The Cardinals have a Lars Nootbaar decision to make

Sep 12, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar (21) strikes out against the Milwaukee Brewers in the fourth inning at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images | Michael McLoone-Imagn Images

"One more note from Bloom pregame: [Derrick Goold] asked if putting Nootbaar on the 60-day was a consideration, and he said, 'We have not mapped that out yet...It's not something that's an obvious call, that that would be appropriate. ... That is going to be one of the things on our plates in the next couple days, is to really look at it and see if that's an option for us right now.' The 60-day dates back only to opening day, which would put Nootbaar out until the end of May if that's the move."

If the Cardinals were to place Nootbaar on the Injured List, he would not be able to play until at least May, as Jones pointed out. It was reported this past weekend that Nootbaar was preparing to begin a running progression. He also said on March 17 that he has been making "big strides" in his recovery.

"Last month since I've been out in Florida, probably timing-wise with surgery and everything, I've made some big strides recently," Nootbaar said. "So, that's the exciting part. Not rushing or anything, but just been feeling really good. ... No day yet, we'll see. We don't want to rush. We've kind of just been progressing as I progress. Since I've been in Florida, I've been progressing really well. We have optimism."

There's certainly a lot to think about over the next few days. If the Cardinals place Nootbaar on the 60-Day IL, it would open up a roster spot, so the team wouldn't have to cut ties with anyone to add players to the roster, or at least not for one spot. But then you're guaranteeing at least two months without one of your best players. Plus, he has been talked about as a trade candidate.

If he doesn't play his first game until the end of May, is that enough time to improve his trade value before the deadline? Also, his health, obviously, has to be taken into account. Is he physically close to being able to play? There are a lot of variables at play here. It has sounded like he has been making progress. We're just a few days away from finding out just how much.