Surprise roster moves by Cardinals highlighted by return of star and new IL stint

Ivan Herrera is back. The St. Louis Cardinals activated their star bat from the injured list today, earlier than the previously planned return following the All-Star break, in order to get his bat back into the lineup and so they could place a different key player on the injured list.

Ivan Herrera returns to the Cardinals lineup as Lars Nootbaar hits the injured list

The Cardinals have activated Ivan Herrera from the IL and placed outfielder Lars Nootbaar on the 10-day IL with a left costochondral sprain.

Herrera's return to the Cardinals' lineup is a much-needed boost for the offense that has been struggling to find consistency since he went down with his leg injury. Since Herrera hit the injured list on June 19th, the Cardinals' offense ranks in the bottom third of baseball as a team in wRC+, AVG, OBP, SLG, and runs scored. While Herrera won't fix that just by his presence alone, it is notable that they ranked inside the top 10 in baseball in wRC+, AVG, OBP, and runs scored prior to Herrera's latest IL stint and ranked middle of the pack in SLG.

Herrera is not expected to catch the rest of the season for St. Louis in order to keep him healthy and his bat in the lineup every day. The Cardinals have shared they Herrera is doing some work in the outfield to see if he can play out there some to help open up flexibility on their roster, but otherwise, you should expect him to be the primary or exclusive designated hitter for the Cardinals moving forward.

This move away from catcher may be a sign of things to come long-term, as although the Cardinals haven't shut the door on it yet and say they'll revisit it in the offseason, Herrera's struggles behind the plate and frequent IL stints seem to move his destiny away from behind the plate and instead to a corner outfield or DH role.

Nootbaar has really been going through it at the plate this summer, and recently has been pushing through a rib cage issue that has plagued him over the last couple of weeks. He's been pulled from multiple games due to the ailment, and the Cardinals finally bit the bullet and placed him on the injured list.

This is Nootbaar's first IL stint of the season, as he's remained on the field consistently this season for the first time in his big league career. While he has been struggling at the plate, the hope would be that the rest and time off will help him both heal up and get right mentally so he can produce for the club in the second half.