Lars Nootbaar's Stats, Metrics, Game Logs, Projections & Rankings

St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar went 3-for-5 in Saturday's 7-6 win over the Cubs. One of his hits was a triple and the 26-year-old also stole his third base of the season. Nootbaar struggled when he initially came off the IL, however, over the last 12 games the left-handed hitter is slashing .341/.460/.561 with a .444 wOBA, 10 RBI, and six runs scored. The former eighth-round draft pick is making good contact (83.3% Contact%), has a 52.0% HardHit% (93rd percentile), and a strong BB% of 14.2% (95th percentile) on the season. With an xBA almost 50 points higher than his current batting average, it seems like there is room for this hot streak to run, and he's rostered in just 38% of Yahoo leagues.

St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar went 1-for-5 with a solo home run to drive in the team's lone run in Thursday's 7-1 loss to the division-rival Milwaukee Brewers in the series opener. Nootbaar has now homered in back-to-back games but is still hitting only .184/.290/.356 with three home runs, nine RBI, two stolen bases and eight runs scored in 87 at-bats after getting a late start in 2024 due to an injury. In his last 10 games, he's hit .184 (7-for-38) with five extra-base hits. It's nice to see Nootbaar display some power recently, and it could be a sign that he's finally starting to get his timing down at the plate after his first 24 games played. At least until Tommy Edman (wrist) makes his season debut, Nootbaar should be a lineup regular for the Red Birds.

St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar homered in his first game of 2024, a two-run shot in the third inning of Friday's 9-6 win over the Diamondbacks. It was his only hit of the contest though, going 1-for-4 with a walk, two RBI, and a run scored. Nootbaar had been dealing with a rib injury, but now that he's back he can provide fantasy managers with a significant run boost, also adding a little pop and a little speed. Last season the lefty hitter belted 14 home runs, stole 11 bases, and came across the plate 74 times in 117 games. The 26-year-old also has a keen eye at the plate with a career 14.0% BB%. He's rostered in just 41% of Yahoo leagues, so he'll probably become a popular waiver wire add.

The St. Louis Cardinals activated outfielder Lars Nootbaar (ribs) from the 10-day injured list on Thursday and optioned catcher Pedro Pages to Triple-A Memphis in a corresponding move. Nootbaar is recovered from two non-displaced fractures in his left rib cage and will make his 2024 debut on Friday on the road in Arizona against the Diamondbacks. The 26-year-old didn't swing the bat well on his minor-league rehab assignment, but the only takeaway is that he's healthy now and ready to play every day for the Cardinals in left field, especially with Tommy Edman (wrist) and Dylan Carlson (shoulder) still sidelined. In the last two years, Nootbaar has hit 28 home runs and stolen 15 bases in just 225 games played, making him worth a waiver-wire pickup in mixed fantasy leagues for his power/speed combination if he's available.

If St. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol continues to feel that outfielder Lars Nootbaar (ribs) is pointed in the right direction, he could be activated from the injured list on Friday and make his season debut in Arizona against the Diamondbacks on Saturday. Nootbaar could be playing in his final minor-league rehab game on Wednesday with Double-A Springfield if he comes out of that contest feeling good. The 26-year-old is recovering from two non-displaced rib fractures that forced him to open the season on the injured list, but he's surely worth a waiver-wire pickup if he's available in mixed fantasy leagues because of his power-speed combination. When healthy, Nootbaar is going to play regularly for the Cardinals, especially with Tommy Edman (wrist) and Dylan Carlson (shoulder) still sidelined.