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Scouting Report
Updated May 19, 2026
Lars Nootbaar is progressing through his rehab assignment following bilateral heel surgery (Haglund's deformities) performed in October 2025. As of mid-May 2026, he had a "great day" in Florida workouts and began his rehab assignment with Low-A Palm Beach on Friday, May 17, 2026. He homered in his first at-bat during the rehab game. Nootbaar is eligible to return to the Cardinals on May 24, 2026, with a maximum of 20 days on the rehab assignment clock. The Cardinals have remained competitive (26-18 record) without him, but his return is expected to significantly boost the lineup's offensive capabilities.
Strengths
- + Progressing well through rehab with positive daily updates
- + Homered in first rehab game at-bat showing power is intact
- + Strong on-base skills and contact ability when healthy
- + Versatile defender capable of playing all three outfield positions
- + Expected to provide immediate offensive boost to Cardinals lineup
- + Eligible to return to majors by May 24, 2026
- + Career .242 average with 58 home runs and 194 RBIs over 527 games
Weaknesses
- - Missed entire 2026 season to date due to bilateral heel surgery
- - History of injury concerns and inability to stay healthy
- - Last season (2025) showed decline: .234/.325/.361 slash line with .686 OPS
- - Limited range of motion and pain issues in feet prior to surgery
- - Struggled to perform to Statcast metric expectations in recent years
- - Hype around player has diminished among fanbase due to inconsistency
Injury Status: IL-60
About
Lars Nootbaar is a left fielder for the St Louis Cardinals.
Player Overview
LF
St Louis Cardinals