Cardinals' Lars Nootbaar: Ends power drought Saturday
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Nootbaar went 2-for-4 with a walk, a three-run home run and a second run scored in Saturday's 15-6 rout of the Reds.
He took Fernando Cruz deep in the second inning to help the Cards race out to a 10-0 lead. Nootbaar snapped a 23-game homer drought with the blast, as he mostly struggled in September, batting .194 (18-for-93) over 26 games. The 26-year-old heads into the final day of the season with 14 homers, 11 steals, 46 RBI and 74 runs and a .791 OPS over 116 contests, numbers very similar to his 2022 campaign.
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Cardinals' Lars Nootbaar: Gets aboard three times Tuesday
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Nootbaar went 2-for-4 with a walk, a stolen base and a run scored in Tuesday's 7-3 loss to the Brewers.
Prior to Tuesday, Nootbaar had gone 0-for-15 with three walks across his last four games. That small slump hasn't cost him a regular role or a spot atop the lineup against right-handed pitchers. The outfielder has maintained a .265/.373/.425 slash line with 13 home runs, 11 steals, 43 RBI and 69 runs scored over 106 games this season.
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Cardinals' Lars Nootbaar: Heads to bench
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Nootbaar will not start Saturday's game against the Phillies, John Denton of MLB.com reports.
Nootbaar hits the bench against lefty Ranger Suarez, but that isn't necessarily a sign that he's going to be platooned over the final two weeks of the season, as he was in the lineup against the previous two southpaws the Cardinals faced. He does own a much better wRC+ against righties (135) than against lefties (96) and has struck out 25.9 percent of the time against southpaws compared to just 17.4 percent against right-handers, so some platoon risk remains for next season. For now, it will be Tyler O'Neill, Tommy Edman and Jordan Walker across the outfielder for the Cardinals.
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Cardinals' Lars Nootbaar: Produces 10th steal
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Nootbaar went 2-for-5 with a double, a stolen base and a run scored in Monday's 11-5 loss to the Orioles.
Nootbaar has cooled off in September, going 7-for-35 (.200) across 10 games this month. Four of his hits in that span have gone for extra bases, and he's added two steals. The outfielder continues to see a near-everyday role and some time atop the Cardinals' lineup. He's slashing .275/.381/.445 with 10 thefts, 13 home runs, 42 RBI, 67 runs scored and 21 doubles through 100 contests this season.
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Cardinals' Lars Nootbaar: Sitting against lefty
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Nootbaar is absent from the lineup Thursday in Atlanta.
Tyler O'Neill, Tommy Edman and Jordan Walker will start across the outfield as the Cardinals match up against left-hander Max Fried. Nootbaar has posted an .855 OPS in 317 plate appearances this year against righties, compared to a .704 OPS in 96 plate appearances versus southpaws.
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Cardinals' Lars Nootbaar: Gets aboard three times
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Nootbaar went 1-for-3 with a pair of walks, a stolen base and two runs scored in Sunday's 6-4 win over the Pirates.
Nootbaar went 2-for-12 with three walks, a home run and a stolen base over three games versus the Pirates during this weekend's series, his first action since mid-August. He's back to playing a starting role in center field after recovering from a groin injury. The outfielder has also returned to the leadoff spot versus right-hander pitchers. Nootbaar is slashing .279/.381/.452 with 13 home runs, 40 RBI, 63 runs scored and nine stolen bases through 93 contests overall. He's also maintained strong strikeout (19.6 percent) and walk (14.1 percent) rates.
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Cardinals' Lars Nootbaar: Homers in second game back
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Nootbaar went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in Saturday's 7-6 loss to the Pirates.
Nootbaar returned Friday from a two-week absence due to a groin injury. He's just 1-for-9 across two contests since he was activated from the injured list. Prior to sustaining the injury, he hit .333 (18-for-54) in August. For the season, he's at a .278/.378/.453 slash line, 13 long balls, 40 RBI, 61 runs scored and eight stolen bases through 92 contests in a breakout campaign. He should see plenty of playing time in the outfield over the final month of the season.
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Cardinals' Lars Nootbaar: Activated from IL
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The Cardinals activated Noobaar (groin) from the 10-day injured list Friday, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.
Nootbaar was placed on the injured list Aug. 17 after getting hit below the belt by a foul tip. He went 3-for-6 with an RBI and a run scored during his two-game rehab assignment and will be back starting in center field Friday.
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Cardinals' Lars Nootbaar: Not activated, but close to return
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Nootbaar (abdomen) is considered close to returning from the 10-day injured list, but he continues to work out on the side rather than with the team as he attempts to regain strength, John Denton of MLB.com reports.
Nootbaar had been eligible to return from the IL on Sunday, but he'll need some additional time to fully heal up from a lower abdomen contusion. Though he's continuing to take part in baseball activities, the Cardinals aren't yet ready to pinpoint a target date for his activation. While Nootbaar remains on the mend, the Cardinals will likely rely on a combination of Richie Palacios and Tommy Edman to fill in for him in center field.
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Cardinals' Lars Nootbaar: Placed on 10-day IL
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Nootbaar (abdomen) was placed on the 10-day injured list Thursday, John Denton of MLB.com reports.
After fouling a ball off himself Wednesday, Nootbaar will now be sidelined for a over a week while nursing his injured lower abdomen. The outfielder will be replaced on the major-league roster by top prospect Masyn Winn, who had his contract selected from Triple-A Memphis.
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Cardinals' Lars Nootbaar: Cleared of structural damage
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Nootbaar (abdomen) was cleared of any structural damage after undergoing medical testing at a St. Louis hospital Wednesday night, John Denton of MLB.com reports.
Nootbaar took a foul tip to a sensitive area in Wednesday's series finale against the Athletics and is not in the Cardinals' starting lineup for Thursday's series opener versus the Mets. He only has some minor soreness, though, and is expected to return at some point during the four-game weekend set at Busch Stadium.
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Cardinals' Lars Nootbaar: Sidelined Thursday
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Nootbaar (abdomen) is not in Thursday's lineup against the Mets.
He exited Wednesday's game with a lower abdomen contusion, so that could still be ailing him. It's also possible the team is just playing it safe with Nootbaar, given that a same-handed pitcher (Jose Quintana) is on the mound for New York. Tommy Edman gets the start in center field while Taylor Motter mans shortstop and Jose Fermin works at the keystone.
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Cardinals' Lars Nootbaar: Exits with injury
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Nootbaar was removed from Wednesday's game against Oakland with a lower abdomen contusion, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.
Nootbaar fouled off a pitch in the fifth inning that ended up hitting him below the belt and put him in a considerable amount of pain. The Cardinals should provide additional updates on Nootbaar's status before Thursday's contest, but the 25-year-old outfielder should be considered day-to-day for now.
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Cardinals' Lars Nootbaar: Belts long ball in victory
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Nootbaar went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run in a 7-3 win over Minnesota on Wednesday.
Nootbaar hit one of three second-inning homers for the Cardinals in the victory, swatting a 411-foot two-run shot to right-center field. The outfielder has been swinging a hot bat of late, collecting multiple hits four times over his current six-game hitting streak. Nootbaar is batting a cool .500 (11-for-22) with four homers, seven RBI and five runs over the scorching stretch.
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Cardinals' Lars Nootbaar: Possible waiver wire pickups
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Nootbaar's struggles to elevate the ball have contributed to a disappointing first year as a full-time starter, but he just wrapped up a July that should serve as a reminder how good he can be. His two home runs Friday were his fifth and sixth for the month to go along with a .309 (29 for 94) batting average and .416 on-base percentage. He's been the fifth-best outfielder in points leagues during that stretch -- behind Cody Bellinger, Kyle Tucker, Christian Yelich and Ronald Acuna -- and is verging on must-start status again in that format thanks to his ability to take a walk. He bats in the upper third of the lineup most every day, which is of course valuable in all formats, and you may recall that this was about the point when he burst onto the scene last year.
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Cardinals' Lars Nootbaar: Goes deep twice
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Nootbaar went 2-for-4 with two solo home runs in Friday's loss to the Cubs.
Nootbaar accounted for the Cardinals' only two runs Friday. The 25-year-old has caught fire recently, going 9-for-19 (.474) with four homers and a 7:1 BB:K over his last six games. On the year, Nootbaar is now slashing .271/.377/.431 with 23 extra-base hits and 51 runs scored through 319 plate appearances.
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Cardinals' Lars Nootbaar: Takes seat Thursday
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Nootbaar isn't in the Cardinals' lineup Thursday against the Cubs, John Denton of MLB.com reports.
Nootbaar will get a day off Thursday after going 3-for-4 with a home run and two RBI during Wednesday's game against Arizona. Tyler O'Neill, Dylan Carlson and Jordan Walker will man the Cardinals' outfield from left to right while Nootbaar rests.
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Cardinals' Lars Nootbaar: Productive in win
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Nootbaar (heel) went 1-for-2 with three walks, one RBI and two runs scored in Monday's 10-6 win over the Diamondbacks.
Nootbaar's removal from Sunday's game versus the Cubs with the heel issue looks to be just a precautionary thing. The outfielder has gone 11-for-39 (.282) with a 9:11 BB:K over 11 contests since the All-Star break. He's walking at a 14.4 percent rate this season while maintaining a .263/.367/.394 slash line with seven home runs, 28 RBI, 48 runs scored and seven stolen bases through 71 games.
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Cardinals' Lars Nootbaar: Departs with heel injury
Rotowire
Nootbaar was removed from Sunday's game against the Cubs due to right heel soreness, John Denton of MLB.com reports.
The 25-year-old outfielder went 0-for-3 before being replaced by a pinch hitter during the seventh inning of Sunday's contest. Nootbaar should be considered day-to-day heading into Monday's series opener against the Diamondbacks.
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Cardinals' Lars Nootbaar: Hits leadoff homer, scores thrice
Rotowire
Nootbaar went 3-for-4 with a solo home run, a double and three runs scored in Saturday's loss against the Cubs.
Nootbaar wasted no time getting the Cardinals on the board, crushing a leadoff home run on the first pitch of the game. He then added a leadoff double in his next at-bat before coming around to score on a Nolan Gorman homer. The center fielder reached base four times on the afternoon and has now drawn a walk in four of his last five games, hitting .294 over that stretch with seven runs scored.
