How Jimmy Crooks and Lars Nootbaar change the Cardinals lineup construction

Lars Nootbaar is due to return to the St. Louis Cardinals in the very near future, perhaps even against the Cincinnati Reds in St. Louis next weekend. After having double heel surgery in the offseason, Noot has finally recovered and is prepared for the regular season. His return will provide a boost to an offensive group that is desperately seeking production from the bottom half.

Nootbaar had Haglund's deformities removed on both of his heels in October 2025, and he started the 2026 season on the 60-day Injured List. As a result, manager Oli Marmol has had to get creative with his lineup, particularly in left field. He's employed a mixture of Nathan Church, Jose Fermin, and Thomas Saggese with Church logging the most innings in the corner among the bunch.

Nootbaar has been on various rehab assignments over the last few weeks, and his most recent stint in Springfield has been quite successful. The 28-year-old outfielder posted a .316/.381/.684 slash line in the minors across seven games while rehabbing. He hit two home runs and struck out three times compared to two walks prior to games on Friday.

What could a potential St. Louis Cardinals lineup that includes Lars Nootbaar look like?

Against RHP

2B JJ Wetherholt
DH Ivan Herrera
1B Alec Burleson
RF Jordan Walker
LF Lars Nootbaar
3B Nolan Gorman
SS Masyn Winn
C Jimmy Crooks
CF Victor Scott II

Against LHP

2B JJ Wetherholt
C Ivan Herrera
1B Alec Burleson
RF Jordan Walker
CF Lars Nootbaar
SS Masyn Winn
C Jimmy Crooks
LF Jose Fermin
3B Thomas Saggese

The lineup against right-handed pitchers is pretty straightforward and can be shifted around slightly. Lars returning adds some assurance in the fifth spot.

The lineup against left-handed pitchers can get messy pretty quickly, but hopefully, the thump provided by Ivan Herrera and Jordan Walker is enough to carry an otherwise tough back half. Either way, Lars Nootbaar's return lengthens the lineup a little more than it is currently.

Lars Nootbaar's inclusion on the roster impacts two players pretty heavily: Victor Scott II and Nolan Gorman. Victor Scott II moves to the club's fourth outfielder spot. Nathan Church's combination of speed and defense is at least close to Scott II's, but Church has an OPS that is .250 points higher than VS2's. This gives Church, who is only seven months older than Scott II, regular time in center field. VS2 becomes a fourth outfielder with solid late-game defensive and baserunning value. Once Church returns from his Injured List stint, he'll likely pass up Victor Scott II on the depth chart. For now, it's Scott II's spot.

Nolan Gorman also gets shifted down two spots in the lineup with Nootbaar's return. He goes from the fifth spot to the seventh spot. While this might feel like a demotion for Gorman, this lengthens the Cardinals' lineup. Gorman will provide some pop behind on-base players like Lars Nootbaar and Masyn Winn, the latter walking at a career-high 8.8% clip with a .343 on-base percentage.

Left field has been a dead spot for the Cardinals all year. Cardinal left fielders rank 24th in baseball with a 78 wRC+. They also rank 28th in on-base percentage (.275), one of Nootbaar's greatest calling cards offensively.

Lars Nootbaar's return will lengthen the St. Louis Cardinals' lineup. After missing the first two months of the year, he'll now have a chance to make an impact at the major-league level. Nootbaar is a potential trade candidate, and him finding success over the next two months will boost his value for team president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom. Noot isn't a free agent until after the 2027 season, so he has ample team control left.

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