Cardinals May Have Internal Answer If Lars Nootbaar Is Sidelined

The St. Louis Cardinals outfield very well could be a player short when Opening Day gets here in March.

That is, of course, because Lars Nootbaar is still dealing with the fallout from his offseason surgeries on both of his heels. Nootbaar is working his way back. It's important to note that the Cardinals haven't ruled him out for Opening Day, but did say they won't have a timeline until Nootbaar is in camp and the team can see him in action.

If you like our content, choose Sports Illustrated as a preferred source on Google.

"We have not made that determination yet," Cardinals president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom said. "He's not going to be ready to play games when games start here [in Spring Training]. But beyond that we don't really have a calendar built out. Once he has been here for a couple of weeks, we'll have a better idea of what that looks like. He's doing well. I think the important thing is making sure the progression is appropriate and he has enough under him not just physically, but also hitting-wise to be ready for the season. Where that will take us, we haven't figured that out yet. But we'll probably have a better idea, like I said, after a couple of weeks here."

The Cardinals have an intriguing young outfielder

Sep 7, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Nathan Church (27) bunts in the fifth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Vizer-Imagn Images | Tim Vizer-Imagn Images

If that were to happen, how would the Cardinals fill the hole left by him? Bloom has openly spoken about how the team is willing to add a right-handed hitter into the mix, but nothing has lined up yet.

On top of this, MLB.com's Brian Murphy noted that Nathan Church has a "good shot" of making the big league roster out of camp with a good Spring Training as well.

"When asked if there is any outfielder on the squad who is ready to break through in 2026, center fielder Victor Scott II said, 'Definitely Churchy. … To see his growth and his development and the conversations that we've had, he’s ready for anything.' With a solid spring, Church has a good shot of making St. Louis’ Opening Day roster, even if Nootbaar is available," Murphy wrote. "And if the latter needs some extra time to prepare, the Cardinals are excited about what the 25-year-old can do if he’s thrust into a bigger role.

"However, the possibility remains that this outfield will welcome a new face soon, possibly creating more competition for Church. The more, the merrier."

The 25-year-old played in 27 games in the majors in 2025 and slashed .179/.254/.250 with one homer and eight RBIs. He wouldn't solve the hole the club has with right-handed bats because he's a lefty, but he's someone with plenty of upside. In the minors last season, Church slashed .329/.386/.524 with 13 homers, 50 RBIs and 16 stolen bases. If he's ready to break out in 2026, it would help solve for the potential loss of Nootbaar early.

More MLB: State of Cardinals Straight From Ex-Starter Miles Mikolas