St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar is heading to the IL after straining his oblique during an at-bat on May 29. Nootbaar wound up before holding a swing on a low ball in the seventh inning of the win over the Cincinnati Reds. He walked away holding his oblique but finished the at-bat.
Nootbaar had an MRI on Friday before the team announced he would be heading to the 10-day IL retroactive to May 30. In a corresponding move, the team called up Jose Fermin from their triple-A affiliate, Memphis Redbirds. The injury is a hit to the red-hot Cardinals.
#STLCards Lars Nootbaar appeared to injure his left side during the at-bat
He finished out the at-bat and was seen reaching at it after grounding out to first base as well pic.twitter.com/8Icth8jA89
— Mike Kurland (@Mike_Kurland) May 29, 2024
Nootbaar has been A Spark Since Re-joining The Team.
Nootbaar started the season on the IL with a rib injury. Since joining the team on April 12, Nootbaar has had a slash line of .234/.337/.404 in 39 games. He has come up with timely hits despite a low batting average, slugging five home runs and 19 RBIs. Nootbaar has routinely produced good at-bats and sports the 20th-best walk rate in the League. He also has a hard-hit percentage of 52.8 percent, which is good for the 17th-best rate in the League.
Since returning from the IL, Nootbaar has started 38 of the Cardinals 41 games. According to Baseball Savant, he’s in the top 17 percent of the league for defensive range among outfielders and the top 25 percent of the league for arm strength.
What This Means For The Cardinals Outfield
Dylan Carlson and Brendan Donovan have solidified themselves as everyday outfielders in the future. The two already were seeing plenty of playing time, but the Cardinals will rely even more heavily on them after Nootbaar’s injury. Donovan has a slash line of .245/.326/.382 in 52 games. Carlson has struggled since coming of the IL, with a slash line of .139/.244/.139 in 18 games. Carlson was having a great Spring Training before an outfield collision with Jordan Walker put him on the IL.
INF José Fermín has been recalled from Memphis (AAA).
OF Lars Nootbaar has been placed on the 10-day injured list (oblique strain), retroactive to May 30th.
RHP Giovanny Gallegos will begin a rehab assignment tonight (Friday) in Memphis. pic.twitter.com/pktEqRWAfZ
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) May 31, 2024
Fermin has been on a hot streak to start the season in Triple-A. He has a slash line of .346/.461/.615 in 32 games. Fermin has six home runs with only five strikeouts and 19 walks this season. He’s also stolen 10 bases. Fermin played 21 games with the Cardinals last season with a slash line of .235/.339/.255.
Main Photo Credits: Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports
