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Promising St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar was considered one of the Redbirds poised for a potential breakout year in 2024. Now, he may start the season on the injured list after the club discovered he has an issue with his ribs.
A CT scan over the weekend revealed that some soreness Nootbaar had been suffering from for the better part of the last week was due to two fractured ribs. Nootbaar incurred the injury while tracking down a fly ball in a game against the Washington Nationals.
He made a catch at the left field wall at CACTI Ballpark of the Palm Beaches. As he made contact with the barrier, he braced himself and ended up jabbing his elbow into his side.
Nootbaar would remain in that game and even take one more at-bat. But the pain and discomfort that lingered in the following days forced the club to take a closer look at his situation. For now, the Cardinals are monitoring the situation from day to day, as team president John Mozeliak is currently taking a “wait-and-see” approach to the outfielder’s injury.
Another Key Player Injured for the Cardinals
Upon learning the news, Lars Nootbaar didn’t hold back his feelings. Both he and the team had high expectations for 2024, and it now appears as if those goals will be put on hold – at least for the time being.
“Frustrated. Disappointed,” Nootbaar told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “I kind of had an idea of what was happening just based off my symptoms leading up to that scan, but it still hurts when it gets confirmed.”
Nootbaar, 26, won’t be playing, but will still be involved in physical activity around Roger Dean Stadium. He’s able to lift some weights, ride the stationary bike, use the elliptical machine, and he stood in the batter’s box during a live batting practice session on Friday to track pitches. However, running the bases or attempting any play in the field has been ruled out for now.
What’s the Prognosis for Lars Nootbaar?
As the Cards head into this season, they’ve already been hit with the injury bug. While Mozeliak seems to be confident that Lars Nootbaar will be ready by opening day, he admits that it’s not the way he envisioned things starting out.
“Not ideal. So the level of concern is real. But you always have to remind yourself that April 1 isn’t the entire season either. So being patient and getting these guys back to where we think they are best suited to be successful is more important than maybe some time missed.”
“Over the course of the next 10 to 14 days, we just monitor and see where he’s at,” Mozeliak said. “At that point, we’ll know if it’s more of a concern for opening day or not. Right now, we’re going to be patient.”
Nootbaar isn’t the only Cardinal who is ailing. Star utilityman Tommy Edman has been out of action all spring, and free-agent signee Sonny Gray is likely to miss his opening-day start. The Redbirds will try to get as healthy as possible, as a 2024 date with destiny looms near. The Cards travel to Los Angeles to open the schedule against Shohei Ohtani and the Dodgers on March 28.
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