Lars Nootbaar Injury Opens Door to Cardinals Rookie's Big Breakout

The Cardinals have a few top prospects to watch this season as they continue their rebuild...

Feb 25, 2026; Port St. Lucie, Florida, USA; St. Louis Cardinals left fielder Nathan Church (27) gets hit by a pitch in the second inning against the New York Mets at Clover Park. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images | Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals are in the middle of a huge rebuild this offseason. They opted to trade away a slew of veterans, including Brendan Donovan, Nolan Arenado, and Sonny Gray.

These trades have opened the door for prospects like JJ Wetherholt to start at the big league level. Wetherholt is the Cardinals' top prospect and he's a top candidate for the National League Rookie of the Year award, too. He's already slugged his first career home run and hit a walk off single during his first week or so in the big leagues.

But the Cardinals have other rookies to watch this season.

Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter recently shared a lot of high praise for Cardinals rookie Nathan Church. While Wetherholt is getting a lot of the praise, Church could quietly emerge as one of the other top NL rookies this season.

Nathan Church has clear path to stardom in St. Louis

Feb 16, 2026; Jupiter, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals left fielder Nathan Church (27) waits to bat during spring training workouts at Roger Dean Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images | Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images

"An injury to Lars Nootbaar has given Church a path to playing time early in the season by being the starting left fielder on Opening Day," Reuter wrote. "An 11th-round pick in 2022, he broke out last season with a .329/.386/.524 line in 384 plate appearances across three minor league levels. Now he offers a high floor and intriguing upside for a rebuilding Cardinals team."

The Cardinals are seemingly going to be without Lars Nootbaar for the first few months of the season, as he began the year on the 60-day injured list. Nootbaar underwent double heel surgery during the offseason and hasn't gotten close to 100 percent yet. As a result, Church has a clear path to starting in the outfield to begin the season.

Through three games, Church has looked like he belongs at the big league level. Sometimes, it's the eye test that can largely indicate if a player will have success in MLB. Church passes the eye test right now. He recorded three hits in his first appearance this year.

The young outfielder didn't look great at the plate last season, but the potential is there. He's also a plus defender and a solid baserunner, which will drive his value up while he adjusts to big league pitching at the plate.

Either way, the Cardinals have more young talent than just Wetherholt to be excited about this season.