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Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak introduced this afternoon that outfielder Lars Nootbaar has two nondisplaced fractures in his ribs on the left facet, per John Denton of MLB.com. He underwent a CT scan yesterday after injuring himself making a catch in a latest sport. Nootbaar can have a interval of 10-14 days the place he can swing the bat however have restricted work in any other case, per Derrick Goold and Lynn Worthy of the St. Louis Submit-Dispatch. His readiness for Opening Day is now doubtful however not dominated out simply but. That challenge is compounded by the truth that Tommy Edman can be uncertain for Opening Day as he recovers from arthroscopic wrist surgical procedure, per Goold.
In a vacuum, neither scenario is devastating for the Playing cards but it surely’s not preferrred for the membership to be heading into the season with two thirds of its outfield now in jeopardy. Nootbaar has taken 974 journeys to the plate for the Cardinals over the previous three seasons, hitting 33 house runs whereas drawing walks at a 14% clip and limiting his strikeouts to a 20.3% fee. His mixed batting line of .246/.351/.429 interprets to a wRC+ of 117, indicating he’s been 17% higher than the league common hitter. He’s additionally swiped 17 luggage and obtained robust grades for his outfield protection.
Eradicating that type of manufacturing from the lineup can be unwelcome at any time however having him out of motion similtaneously Edman can be an unlucky coincidence. Mozeliak instructed that Dylan Carlson and Alec Burleson will doubtless step up in the interim, per Denton.
Carlson, 25, is a powerful defender however hasn’t fairly damaged out with the bat but, having hit .243/.322/.394 up to now in his profession for a wRC+ of 99. Burleson is usually thought-about a bat-first man, although his main league manufacturing hasn’t matched his work within the minors simply but. He’s hit .300/.350/.492 on the farm however simply .237/.295/.375 within the large leagues, the latter line translating to a wRC+ of 85.
With these two more likely to be slotted subsequent to Jordan Walker frequently, that would bump Michael Siani as much as fourth outfielder standing. Siani is a speed-and-defense man who has hit simply .138/.167/.138 in his large league profession. That’s a tiny pattern of simply 30 plate appearances however his minor league offense has additionally been subpar. He slashed .227/.347/.350 in Triple-A final yr for a wRC+ of 81.
Brendan Donovan can be on the roster and may play all around the diamond, however the membership doesn’t have a daily designated hitter. That doubtless means Donovan will both be the DH or transferring round to provide another person a partial day without work more often than not. If Matt Carpenter might seize the DH job, maybe that frees up Donovan to fit into the outfield extra commonly however Carpenter is now 38 years previous and hit simply .176/.322/.319 for the Padres final yr. Donovan additionally would possibly want some infield time regardless as Brandon Crawford presently profiles because the backup infielder however he’s by no means performed anyplace aside from shortstop.
With the outfield accidents, hypothesis has turned to Victor Scott II, who is among the membership’s greatest prospects. However Mozeliak tells Denton that the membership will take “a measured and affected person method” with the choice to advertise him to the massive leagues. Scott was simply drafted in 2022 has but to succeed in Triple-A, so it’s comprehensible the membership might not wish to rush him to the massive leagues to cowl what is probably going a short lived want.
All advised, there are a lot of transferring elements and there’s nonetheless just a few weeks for the Playing cards to get every thing found out, but it surely’s at the very least considerably regarding that well being has develop into such an enormous focus right here in March. The membership is seeking to bounce again after a nightmare season in 2023 and is already coping with notable accidents to 2 thirds of its beginning outfield in addition to Sonny Gray, their marquee offseason pickup, who’s coping with a hamstring strain.
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