Lars Nootbaar as Opening Day nears: heel-surgery rehab reshapes the Cardinals’ outfield plan

lars nootbaar still has not played this spring while working back from heel surgeries, and the situation is increasingly pointing toward an injured list stint to begin the season in Eastern Time (ET) terms as Opening Day approaches. With no clear timetable for his season debut, the Cardinals are operating with uncertainty in left field and are building contingency plans around internal options.

What happens when Lars Nootbaar is not ready for game action?

lars nootbaar is coming off surgery in early October to address Haglund’s deformities on both heels. While his rehab is moving forward, he does not appear close to being cleared for game action. The latest progression includes increased agility drills, and he is soon slated to ramp up his running program on an altered-gravity treadmill.

That altered-gravity detail matters because it signals controlled progress rather than a return to full on-field workload. The club is therefore preparing to open the campaign without him, and there remains no firm timetable for when he might be ready for his season debut.

The absence also extends beyond the lineup card: the health uncertainty affected how other teams viewed him over the winter, with the uncertainty in his outlook limiting the likelihood of a strong enough return in any potential move. In practical terms, the Cardinals have had to treat his spring status and early-season availability as unsettled rather than something they can schedule around.

What if the Cardinals’ left field plan becomes a short-term patchwork?

With lars nootbaar unavailable, the Opening Day left field job is open. The Cardinals were in the market late in the offseason for a right-handed hitting outfielder but did not land any MLB additions. Instead, the team signed Nelson Velázquez to a minor league deal, and his spring performance has been strong: he has hit. 333/. 440/. 524 with four walks and two strikeouts over 25 plate appearances.

The club is also using camp to stretch its flexibility. Utility infielders Thomas Saggese and José Fermín have been getting outfield work, creating an additional layer of optionality if the roster needs to cover innings in left field early. One possible stopgap approach is a platoon that could include Saggese or Fermín splitting time with lefty-hitting Nathan Church.

One option the Cardinals have ruled out for now is carrying outfield prospect Joshua Báez on the Opening Day roster. The team optioned the 22-year-old to Triple-A Memphis after an excellent camp in which he hit three homers and went 7-for-21 in 10 games. Báez has no Triple-A experience, and he will begin the season in the minors while looking to sustain last season’s improvements, including a reduced strikeout rate.

What happens when the roster math shifts elsewhere while the outfield waits?

While left field remains unsettled pending lars nootbaar’s return timeline, the Cardinals have been making decisions in other areas that shape the overall roster picture. The club optioned catching prospects Jimmy Crooks and Leonardo Bernal, leaving Ivan Herrera, Pedro Pages, and Yohel Pozo as the three catchers on the 40-man roster who remain in camp. The team intends to carry all three on the Opening Day roster: Pages as the primary catcher, Pozo in a traditional backup role, and Herrera continuing to see more time at designated hitter than at catcher while still remaining connected to the catching position.

That catching configuration, alongside the left-field uncertainty, underscores the balancing act teams face heading into Opening Day. The Cardinals are managing two parallel realities at once: making firm roster calls at positions where clarity exists, while leaving room to adjust quickly if and when lars nootbaar’s rehab advances from controlled running to full baseball activity.

For now, the only certainty is the near-term one: lars nootbaar is progressing, but the club is planning as if he will begin the season on the injured list, with left field covered by a mix of internal alternatives until his timetable becomes clearer.