Cardinals' Lars Nootbaar: Beginning assignment Friday
Rotowire
Nootbaar (oblique) will begin a rehab assignment with Double-A Springfield on Friday, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.
Nootbaar said he expects his rehab assignment to last roughly six games, which would put him in line to return to the active roster July 5 for the beginning of St. Louis' series with the Nationals. The 26-year-old outfielder has spent nearly a month on the injured list after straining his left oblique during a game in late May.
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Cardinals' Lars Nootbaar: Could play rehab games this weekend
Rotowire
Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said Wednesday that Nootbaar (oblique) could begin a rehab assignment as soon as this weekend, Daniel Guerrero of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
Nootbaar hit in the batting cage Monday and then took on-field batting practice Tuesday for the first time since suffering a strained left oblique in late May. It's not clear how many rehab games he might require, but a return from the 10-day injured list in early July appears doable.
Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said Nootbaar (oblique) took batting practice Monday and will do so again Tuesday, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.
If Nootbaar responds well to the consecutive days of BP, the Cardinals could clear the outfielder to head out on a minor-league rehab assignment later in the week. Though Nootbaar wouldn't seem to be a likely candidate to return from the 10-day injured list for any of the Cardinals' seven games this week, he shouldn't require a lengthy rehab assignment. Alec Burleson has been serving as the Cardinals' primary right fielder in Nootbaar's stead, but Burleson will likely settle back in at designated hitter once Nootbaar is activated.
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Cardinals' Lars Nootbaar: Rehab assignment getting closer
Rotowire
Nootbaar (oblique) is tracking toward beginning a rehab assignment soon, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.
Nootbaar has been shelved since late May with a left oblique strain but appears close to being ready to play in games. The outfielder shouldn't need too many rehab games in the minors since he's been on the injured list for just over three weeks. A return before the All-Star break is likely.
Cardinals' Lars Nootbaar: Nearly ready to take swings
Rotowire
Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said Thursday that Nootbaar (oblique) continues to take part in "rotational work" and could resume swinging a bat this weekend, John Denton of MLB.com reports.
The Cardinals will presumably ease Nootbaar into swinging by having him hit off a tee or hit soft-toss throws before he eventually gains clearance to hit against higher-velocity pitching. In addition to being able to hit without discomfort, Nootbaar, who has been on the injured list since May 31 with a left oblique strain, will also need to prove that the injury doesn't compromise him when he runs the bases or plays the outfield. He still appears to be at least a couple weeks away from being a realistic option to rejoin the Cardinals, and Nootbaar will presumably need to go out on a minor-league rehab assignment prior to being activated.
