Prior to today’s game, the Cardinals activated catcher Ivan Herrera from the 10-day injured list. The corresponding move saw another regular hit the 10-day IL, as outfielder Lars Nootbaar has been sidelined by what the Cards described as a left costochondral sprain.
Herrera hasn’t played since June 19 due to a Grade 2 hamstring strain, though the fact that he was able to return from a more severe strain within a month’s time is a positive sign. This was the second IL stint of the year for Herrera, who missed a month due to left knee inflammation in April and early May. As a result, Herrera’s 2025 campaign has been limited to 43 games, counting his appearance as the designated hitter in today’s contest with the Braves.
Despite the injuries, Herrera has swung a hot bat when he has been able to play, as he hit .320/.392/.533 with eight homers over his first 171 trips to the plate. In order to keep Herrera healthy, the Cardinals aren’t expected to use him much as a catcher over the remainder of the year, so Herrera will mostly act as a DH.
In an interesting wrinkle, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch wrote that the Cards also had Herrera go through some workouts as an outfielder, so he could potentially contribute in the field without entirely locking up the DH spot. A career catcher, Herrera has never played in the outfield as a professional, as his only other positional experience consists of a few games as a first baseman during winter ball action.
Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol downplayed the idea of Herrera getting any significant time as an outfielder, simply saying “we’re going to see what that looks like. We know catching is a stressor. We want to do whatever allows him to stay healthy all the way through, and if we feel at any point that it’s strictly DH, then it’s well worth it to keep his bat in the lineup and give him days off when we need the flexibility of moving someone into that spot.”
Speaking of outfielders, Nootbaar will get a full IL stint to heal up after dealing with a side problem for the last few days. The costochondral joints connect the ribs to costal cartilage, so while the situation certainly isn’t pleasant for Nootbaar, he has at least avoided an oblique strain that might’ve led to a much longer absence. Nootbaar missed about seven weeks of the 2024 season due to a pair of IL stints related to an oblique strain and a rib contusion.
Nootbaar is hitting .227/.332/.381 with 12 homers over 386 plate appearances this year, translating to a 104 wRC+ that is just above the league average. The left-handed hitting Nootbaar has played almost every day for St. Louis, playing mostly left field while chipping in at the other two outfield positions. After injuries hampered him in both 2023 and 2024, it was a good sign that Nootbaar had at least been able to stay on the field until now, and the hope is that he won’t miss too much more time to get back to playing condition. Brendan Donovan, Jose Fermin, or Garrett Hampson figure to be used in left field while Nootbaar is out.
I see sales of Nootbaars going down.
Lars Nootbar.
Overrated.
Overvalued by Nozeliak who knows nothing.
Completely agree.
Overrated how? We’re paying him $2.9M this year and even with that slump a few weeks ago, his offense has been above avg. Seems like a good locker room guy too.
It’s trollbait. Nobody serious would ever say a first-year earning arb player is overrated.
I don’t think it is unfair to say that because the impression has been in prior seasons that he was an untouchable asset. It is fair to say he is overrated in that regard and not necessarily when it comes to cost for production.
Not going anywhere for a while? Have a Nootbaar.
The Cardinals just need to lock Mo in a closet somewhere and do the smart thing. Sell anyone on the roster over 30, bring up as many young players as possible, and use the second half of the season to identify needs for 2026.
I love this team. I am proud of how well they have played this season. But I am able to separate my fan feelings from the equation and accept that this team is not ready to compete in the playoffs. There is just not enough pitching or consistent offense.
The future looks good. The long term books are pretty clean. Be smart, not emotional.
I agree, getting rid of guys over 30 might actually help the team win. Problem is Gray has no trade clause so does Contreras and Arenado. You cant get rid of all of them, those three have pretty much said “were staying here” from everything I understand. Dumping Fedde and Mikolas might help. Matz been looking like he deserves a shot in the rotation recently
I agree we need to trade Fedde and Mikolas, but your not going to get a whole lot for them. The way they have been pitching lately haven’t really makes them not very attractive gets for any playoff teams. Maybe a change of scenery might help. My trade proposal might be Mikolas to Miami for Sandy Alcantara if Sandy can get back to his Cy Young form. That will be wishful thinking on me.
I don’t know. When they’ve looked good this year (especially their defense), they have looked REALLY good. Injuries, Fedde and Mikolas have been killing them lately. Helsley has been a little disappointing too. Really wish they’d bring McGreevy up to replace Fedde.
If you would have told me at the start of the season they’d be 5 games over 500 and 1.5 out of the WC at ASB, I would have been thrilled. Future looks good, but the old guys aren’t going anywhere.
The old players aren’t bringing much of anything back in value. At best it would save some payroll but the attendance drop from giving up the season with over two months left would offset that. Best thing for them to do is keep what they have and try to make a playoff run.
Since April, Nootbaar has been hitting himself out of a starting position and into a fourth outfielder position.
I love how when the Cardinals need hit the score. Run new bar will either strike out or pop it up. When the Cardinals are leading eight to nothing he’ll hit a home run or double and all of a sudden he’s the best hitter since Babe Ruth. Am waiting for him to go on the DH with a bit off tongue the way he hangs it out there