Lars Nootbaar Fantasy Stats

St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar (heels) has been dealing with pain in both of his heels for the last two and a half years, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Nootbaar had surgery on both of his heels on Oct. 7 and hopes to put the issues in the past in 2026. The 28-year-old outfielder admitted that he was definitely affected by his foot problems again in 2025, in which he slashed .234/.325/.361 with a .686 OPS, 13 home runs, 48 RBI, 68 runs scored, and only four stolen bases in 509 at-bats over a career-high 135 games played. He may be able to rebound next year if the surgeries solve his problems, but fantasy managers won't be in a rush to find out, especially since he could be delayed beyond Opening Day. In his five MLB seasons, Nootbaar has been unable to clear the 14-homer mark and doesn't have more than 48 RBI in a single season.

St. Louis Cardinals president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom said that outfielder Lars Nootbaar (heels) isn't guaranteed to be ready for Opening Day in 2026 after having surgery on both of his heels. The Cardinals will not rush Nootbaar through the rehab process, but if he does miss time at the start of the season, it would be a "limited amount of time." The 28-year-old outfielder had surgery on both of his heels on Oct. 7 and could be delayed in the early going next season. Despite playing in a career-high 135 games for the Red Birds in 2025, Nootbaar wasn't able to improve on his counting stats as a hitter. The former eighth-round pick in 2018 out of USC slashed .234/.325/.361 with a .686 OPS, 13 home runs, 68 runs scored, 48 RBI, and four stolen bases in his 509 at-bats. At best, Nootbaar will be a late-round flier for outfield depth in fantasy drafts next spring.

The St. Louis Cardinals announced on Friday that outfielder Lars Nootbaar (heels) underwent surgery on both of his heels on Oct. 7 to shave down Haglund's deformities, according to John Denton of MLB.com. It's unclear if Nootbaar's surgeries will put his status for spring training or the start of the 2026 regular season in jeopardy at this time. The 28-year-old outfielder managed to play in a career-high 135 games for the Red Birds in 2025 in his fifth year in the majors, but his counting stats didn't take a step forward. In 583 plate appearances, the left-handed-hitting outfielder slashed a mediocre .234/.325/.361 with a career-low .686 OPS, 13 home runs, a career-high 48 RBI, 68 runs scored, and just four stolen bases. The oft-injured 28-year-old is unlikely to take the next step offensively unless he starts making better quality of contact and hitting the ball in the air more.

St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar isn't in the starting lineup on Saturday against the Milwaukee Brewers. Alec Burleson will take his place in left field and hit third versus right-hander Chad Patrick, while Nolan Gorman will play first base and bat sixth. This has been a rough September for Nootbaar, who has struggled to a .222/.290/.328 line with one extra-base hit (a double), four RBI, and 10:5 K:BB in 16 games. The 28-year-old has offered better production than that this season, though he has still hit a mediocre .237/.325/.368 with 13 homers, 48 RBI, 66 runs scored, and four steals over 557 plate appearances.

St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Willson Contreras (foot) and outfielder Lars Nootbaar (cramps) are both in the starting lineup for Monday's series opener on the road against the Miami Marlins and right-hander Eury Perez. Contreras is at first and is batting cleanup, while Nootbaar is in right field and will hit leadoff. Contreras will return after missing the last four games, while Nootbaar sat out of Sunday's series finale against the New York Yankees after being pulled from Saturday's contest due to muscle cramps. Contreras has a hit in just two career at-bats against Perez, while Nootbaar is hitless in his three at-bats. Contreras has gone 7-for-29 (.241) with two home runs, a double and four RBI in 10 games in the month of August, while Nootbaar is hitting .286 (12-for-42) with a homer, three doubles and four RBI in 11 games in August.

St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar (cramping) was pulled from the game after seven innings in Sunday's 8-4 loss to the Yankees. While it was initially concerning, it turned out that he was just experiencing muscle cramping, reports Derrick Goold of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch. He was 3-for-4 in the game before being replaced by Garrett Hampson. There was no specific muscle region mentioned by team officials, so this seems to just be a minor inconvenience that isn't expected to be an ongoing issue. The 27-year-old is slashing .233/.326/.386 with 13 home runs on the year and will hope to recover enough to return to the lineup on Monday.

St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar (knee) is back in the lineup on Wednesday against the Colorado Rockies. With Victor Scott II sitting, Nootbaar will play center field and hit seventh versus left-hander Austin Gomber. Nootbaar left early on Monday after fouling a ball off his knee, and the Cardinals held him out of the lineup on Tuesday as a result. After missing the second half of July with a rib injury, the 27-year-old has gotten off to a 6-for-26 start with no home runs or walks over seven games in August. Overall, Nootbaar has hit an underwhelming .227/.324/.375 with 12 homers, 40 RBI, 51 runs scored, and four stolen bases in 413 plate appearances.

St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar (knee) is out of the starting lineup ahead of Tuesday's game against the Colorado Rockies. This doesn't come as a surprise considering Nootbaar fouled a ball off his knee during Monday's contest. He was later pulled out of the contest in place of Jordan Walker. The Cardinals will take the cautious approach and rest Nootbaar on Tuesday. He's not expected to land on the injured list, so fantasy managers should consider Nootbaar as day-to-day. Walker will cover right field and bat sixth versus left-hander Kyle Freeland on Tuesday. Fantasy managers should make sure to pull Nootbaar out of their lineups.

St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar (knee) exited Monday's 3-2 win over the Rockies early after fouling a ball off of his left knee. He fouled the ball off his knee in the third inning and stayed in for one more at-bat before being replaced defensively by Jordan Walker. Nootbaar finished with an 0-for-3 effort. X-rays on his knee came back negative, and the Cardinals listed him as day-to-day, per MLB.com's John Denton. The 27-year-old has not been able to get things fully going from a fantasy perspective this season, slashing .227/.324/.375 with 12 home runs, 51 runs scored, 40 RBI, and four stolen bases in 413 plate appearances. Fantasy managers should keep an eye on the Cardinals' lineup in the coming days.

St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar (ribs) was activated off the 10-day injured list on Saturday. Nootbaar is back in the mix after landing on the injured list in mid-July due to a ribs issue. The lineup isn't posted yet for Saturday's game versus the San Diego Padres. Regardless, Nootbaar figures to return to his everyday spot in the outfield. Before going down Nootbaar was slashing .227/.332/.381 with 12 home runs and 37 RBI in 88 games. He's not much of a fantasy option right now. In a corresponding move, infielder Jose Fermin has been optioned to the minors.