Cardinals Have Reasons to be Worried About Lars Nootbaar's Health

Lars Nootbaar has been through quite a lot of injury troubles over this offseason...

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

The St. Louis Cardinals have completely depleted their big league roster with a slew of trades this offseason. They moved on from veteran players like Brendan Donovan, Nolan Arenado, Sonny Gray, and Willson Contreras.

This has bolstered their farm system up quite a bit. In fact, they went from having a unit that ranked near the bottom of the league to one of the better farm systems in the game. This year, they could see top prospects like JJ Wetherholt and Quinn Mathews make their way to the big leagues. Wetherholt is expected to start from day one, as long as spring training goes well.

But there's a lot to be upset about in St. Louis, too. The team is projected to finish last in the National League Central, which would be a massive step backwards from their typical expectations. There are also a few key injuries to watch ahead of spring training.

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Bleacher Report's Zachary Rymer recently noted outfielder Lars Nootbaar's health being a concern for the Cardinals this season.

Lars Nootbaar's health is something to be concerned about

Sep 19, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals left fielder Lars Nootbaar (21) hits a one run single against the Milwaukee Brewers during the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

"With the club's rebuild in full swing, Cardinals fans can really only hope for individual players to brighten things up this season. Nootbaar has the ability to do that when he's healthy," Rymer wrote. "Presently, he's recovering from offseason surgery on both heels. He isn't likely to be ready for Opening Day, and it remains to be seen if good health will help bring back some of the speed he lost in 2024 and 2025."

Nootbaar has been mentioned as a trade chip, but he's unlikely to be moved until he's healthy. At this point, he's set to be late to camp because of rehab for his offseason injuries.

As Rymer noted, Nootbaar had surgery on both heels and isn't expected to be ready for opening day.

With that in mind, St. Louis might not see the outfielder reach 100 percent until around the All-Star break.

Considering he's not likely to be healthy enough for opening day, it's likely going to take him an additional month or so to get back into the swing of things. Pair this with the fact that he's still going to have to get back to 100 percent strength after surgery and this could become a real concern for the Cardinals.

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