The St. Louis Cardinals took a major hit when outfielder Lars Nootbaar went on the injured list with a back issue.
He suffered the injury on May 29 when he made a spectacular catch against the Kansas City Royals.
However, the young outfielder and fan favorite is on the mend and is making improvements.
According to Katie Woo of The Athletic, Nootbaar is expected to join the Memphis Redbirds, the Cardinals’ Triple-A affiliate, and ramp up baseball activities.
The Cardinals are reportedly hoping that Nootbaar will be able to play games this weekend.
Woo provided this update on the young outfielder via Twitter.
Lars Nootbaar is set to join Memphis in Jacksonville this week. He’ll spend the next couple of days ramping up baseball activity and the hope is he’ll be cleared to play in games by the weekend. #STLCards
— Katie Woo (@katiejwoo) June 14, 2023
This is good news for the Cardinals.
The team often feeds off of the energy that Nootbaar brings to the clubhouse.
With him on the injured list, the team is noticeably struggling.
The team came into play on Wednesday with a record of 27-41.
That’s the worst record in the National League.
Nootbaar brings elite defense and is also a table setter for the Cardinals, primarily serving as the team’s leadoff hitter.
Speed is also an important part of Nootbaar’s game.
It’s possible that the speedy outfielder could be activated from the injured list in time for the London Series.
The Cardinals will be taking on the Chicago Cubs in a brief two-game series on June 24-25.
Nootbaar was a key piece to the puzzle when the Cardinals briefly got hot in May, and the team will certainly hope that he is able to help provide a spark and get them back on track when he returns.
NEXT:
Cardinals Executive Discusses Team’s Recent Struggles
#Cardinals #Insider #Update #Injured #Star