JUPITER, Fla. -- Will Lars Nootbaar be the Cardinals’ Opening Day left fielder against the Rays on March 26 at Busch Stadium? He doesn’t like to make predictions about his future, but he is making significant progress when it comes to his injured heels.
Since he arrived in camp in February, Nootbaar, 28, has been swinging the bat and throwing the baseball at 100 percent. However, he still has to show the club that he can run the bases and play left field at full speed. Nootbaar has yet to run a straight line.
Nootbaar underwent offseason surgery last October to address Haglund’s deformities in both heels, which caused irritation and pain where the Achilles tendon attaches to the heel. Nootbaar doesn’t know how the injuries came about. He feels normal wear and tear caused the problems. The heel injuries affected his ability to run the bases and have a “normal everyday life.”
“When we found some structural damage, it was a decision I had to make pretty fast because it would enter into the season, and we knew the recovery time it would take,” Nootbaar said. “It was an easy one with the World Baseball Classic and Spring Training coming up. I thought career-wise, it would be best [to have the surgery].”
Unfortunately, Nootbaar isn’t healthy enough to play for Team Japan in the Classic, which starts Wednesday at the Tokyo Dome. He is disappointed that he will not be part of the crew. Nootbaar was a member of Team Japan in 2023 when it defeated Team USA in the gold medal game.
“I’m greatly disappointed about the games that are coming up now,” Nootbaar said. "I saw some clips of the ‘23 games that brought me back [to when I was part of the team]. … I remember getting off the flight in Japan. I really didn’t know what to expect, seeing it for the first time, and it was like a whirlwind. I was soaking it all in. Now being a spectator, you wish you were there, but I made the right decision.”
If he is able to start the regular season on time, Nootbaar could help the Cardinals in different ways. He has the ability to draw walks -- since 2021, Nootbaar ranks in 16th in walk percentage (12.8) -- and drive the baseball. Nootbar is one of four Cardinals all-time with double-digit career homer totals from all three outfield positions, joining Stan Musial, Wally Moon and Randal Grichuk.
“With the surgery, [Nootbaar] is able to move better in left, perform at a higher level and play better defense. Yeah, this is a really big part of our lineup,” said manager Oliver Marmol.
Cijntje sent down
Switch-pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje, the Cardinals’ No. 5 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline, was reassigned to Minor League camp after Monday’s 3-2 victory over the Marlins.
His only appearance this spring came on February 25 against the Mets as a right-hander, pitching two scoreless innings and striking out two batters in a 6-0 victory. According to Marmol, director of pitching Matt Pierpont and assistant general manager Rob Cerfolio will spend the next two days telling Cijntje what the game plan is moving forward.
During his time in Major League camp, Cijntje spent most of his time as a right-hander during games, bullpen sessions and live batting practice. He managed to throw left-handed during bullpen sessions.