The Cardinals didn’t open the season with Lars Nootbaar on the 60-day injured list because they wanted to. They did it because his heels still aren’t ready – and pretending otherwise would be malpractice. St. Louis placed Nootbaar on the 60-day IL, which means he’s not eligible to return until late May at the earliest. The root cause is offseason surgery in October to remove bone spurs from both heels – issues that were impacting his Achilles area. He was initially expected to be ready for Opening Day, but he didn’t play in a single spring game and only recently started ramping up more intensive running.
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Nootbaar’s Value:
This matters because Nootbaar isn’t just a name – he’s a stabilizer. In 2025, he played a career-high 135 games and hit .234 with 13 HR and 48 RBI. That’s not MVP-level production, but it’s everyday reliability (left-handed at-bats, on-base competence) – and a player the Cardinals can plug into the outfield.
Now St. Louis gets to play the early-season version of roster roulette. The 60-day move also opens a 40-man roster spot, which is useful, but it’s the kind of useful that comes from a problem, not an advantage. The Cardinals are starting the year at home against the Tampa Bay Rays, and they’re doing it without a regular who was supposed to be in the middle of the plan.
Outfield Picture:
With Nootbaar out, the Cardinals’ outfield picture is basically what’s left in the room – and it’s a mix of steadiness, upside, and unproven reps. Alec Burleson becomes even more important as a day-to-day bat who can cover a corner and keep the lineup from going thin, while Jordan Walker has to be more than potential and start producing like an everyday impact player. Victor Scott II brings speed and defense that can affect games, but he’s still not fantastic as a hitter, and that’s a real pressure point now that he’ll be asked to carry more plate appearances. Then there’s Nathan Church – the depth option who suddenly matters.
Friends, this is a real gut punch. A 10-day IL stint is annoying – a 60-day IL stint is a realization that the team is not willing to gamble with his ramp-up. Reports note he only began a running progression last week and just took live batting practice, and the Cardinals are clearly choosing caution over optimism.
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