Cardinals Activate Lars Nootbar, Demote Promising Young Slugger

St. Louis is one-step closer to full strength

Scott Neville | Jun 19, 2023

Cardinals Activate Lars Nootbar, Demote Promising Young Slugger /

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St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals will need all the help they can get to climb out of their last-place hole in the National League Central. Fortunately, one key cog has returned to the starting lineup.

The Cardinals activated outfielder Lars Nootbar (back strain) and plugged him into the lineup as the No. 3 hitter against the Washington Nationals on Monday. To make room for Nootbar, the Cardinals optioned first baseman Luken Baker to Triple-A Memphis.

Cardinals manager Oli Marmol appears set on prioritizing outfield defense, as he elected to keep the versatile Tommy Edman in center fielder while placing Nootbar in right field and Brendan Donovan in left field.

Jordan Walker has been relegated to the designated hitter role as his outfield defense has not come along as quickly as St. Louis would have liked.

For that reason, Baker essentially had no role on the team outside of pinch-hitting and occasionally spelling reigning National League MVP Paul Goldschmidt at first base.

Nootbar's presence is an unquestioned positive for the lineup but it's a shame that Baker has no role on this team, short or long-term. Baker went 4-for-14 (.286) in four games played for St. Louis after tearing the cover off the ball in Memphis.

The 26-year-old hit .313 with 29 extra-base hits and an incredible 18 home runs with 53 RBIs and a 1.075 OPS in 54 games.

If they aren't going to use him, and it looks like they won't, St. Louis would be wise to capitalize on his value at the upcoming trade deadline.

More MLB: Cardinals Swing Pre-Deadline Trade With Guardians For Versatile Depth Player

Published Jun 19, 2023

SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the St. Louis Cardinals for FanNation's "Inside The Cardinals" on Sports Illustrated. Before starting "Inside The Cardinals", Neville attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media with a minor in Marketing. Neville spent all four years with Merrimack's radio station WMCK, where he grew as a radio/podcast host and producer. His propensity for being in front of a microphone eventually expanded to film, where he produced multiple short films alongside his then-roommate and current co-worker Stephen Mottram. On a journey that began as a way to receive easy credits via film classes, he received a call from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" star Charlie Day. Day advised him to make a feature-length film, which he completed his senior year. While writing the film, Neville completed an internship for United Way as part of their NFL Partnership Program. Neville ran the blog for a team of interns and hosted an internet show called "United Way's NFL Partnership Series" where he interviewed NFL alumni. After college Neville wrote for SB Nation's "Over The Monster," a Red Sox sister site of the flagship brand. His work would eventually lead him to a job as a content producer with NESN, where he would cover all sports. After developing as a writer with the top regional network in the world, he was given the opportunity to join FanNation and the Sports Illustrated Media Group as the publisher of "Inside The Red Sox." After a few months as the top Major League Baseball site in the program, Neville sought expansion and pitched "Inside The Cardinals," one of the newest additions to FanNation and the Sports Illustrated Media Group. The successful launch and quick rise of "Inside The Cardinals" led to Neville joining the Baseball Essential ownership group, a national baseball site under SIMG. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: nevilles@merrimack.edu