Cardinals Announce Lars Nootbaar News After Leaving Nationals Game Early originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Outfielder Lars Nootbaar is in his fifth major-league season as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals.
Nootbaar was selected in the eighth round of the 2018 MLB Draft and rose up through the minors to make his big-league debut in 2021. Since then, Nootbaar has established himself as an everyday role player, with his best season coming in 2023. In that age-25 campaign, he batted .261 with a .784 OPS, smashing 14 home runs and producing 46 RBIs.
The Japanese outfielder has two years left of arbitration before he becomes an unrestricted free agent in 2028.
On Thursday, Nootbaar left the Cardinals’ game against the Washington Nationals early in the seventh inning due to a rib cage injury.
The Cardinals announced via manager Oli Marmol postgame that the move was precautionary, citing soreness in Nootbaar’s rib cage, and confirmed that he is expected to return to the lineup tomorrow.
Precautionary move due to the soreness in his ribcage. Expected back in lineup tomorrow, says manager Marmol. https://t.co/EuKfklMYCr
— Derrick Goold (@dgoold) July 11, 2025
St. Louis currently sits at 50-44, one game out of the third National League wild-card spot, making every matchup critical. The Cardinals also sit 5.5 games back of the NL Central-leading Chicago Cubs as they chase their first division title since 2022.
Nootbaar’s availability to contribute will be especially important down the stretch. In 2025, over 85 games, he is batting .229 with a .718 OPS, while hitting twelve home runs and driving in 37 runs. Although his OPS is at the lowest mark of his career, he is on pace to surpass his career-high totals of 14 homers and 46 RBIs.
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 11, 2025, where it first appeared.