The St. Louis Cardinals’ outfield may not look the same on Opening Day as it did at the end of the 2025 season, but it sounds like a significant piece is working his way back.
It has been known for months that Lars Nootbaar is working his way back after undergoing offseason surgery on both of his heels. Outside of the idea that Nootbaar is working his way back, there hasn’t been a lot said about his status. On Tuesday, Nootbaar gave a significant update on himself and noted that he has been making “big strides” lately.
“Last month since I’ve been out in Florida, probably timing-wise with surgery and everything, I’ve made some big strides recently,” Nootbaar said. “So, that’s the exciting part. Not rushing or anything, but just been feeling really good. … No day yet, we’ll see. We don’t want to rush. We’ve kind of just been progressing as I progress. Since I’ve been in Florida, I’ve been progressing really well. We have optimism.”
The Cardinals outfielder is trending up
Sep 19, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals left fielder Lars Nootbaar (21) hits a one run single against the Milwaukee Brewers during the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
Lars Nootbaar has made “some big strides” in his recovery from Haglund’s deformity surgery over the past month in Florida 📈
That said, there’s still no timetable — he’s taking it day by day and not rushing anything #STLCards pic.twitter.com/qwNZiseSZK
— STL Sports Central (@STLSprtsCntrl) March 17, 2026
That’s certainly positive. It doesn’t mean that he’s going to be ready for Opening Day. In fact, with just over one week to go until Opening Day, it’s a pretty safe bet that he will not be on the Opening Day roster. Nootbaar hasn’t appeared in a Spring Training game to this point. But the fact that he said that he has been making “big strides” is extremely positive.
Left field is a question for the Cardinals right now. Arguably, Nelson Velázquez should get a shot out of camp. But there is no denying the fact that St. Louis is a better team with Nootbaar on the field than any of the other left field options.
The quicker he returns to the field, the better position the Cardinals will end up in. Plus, Nootbaar was talked about as a trade candidate this past offseason. The quicker he returns to the field, the more likely he will be to increase his trade value. Regardless, the Cardinals outfielder sounds like he is trending in the right direction and that is very positive.
