The St. Louis Cardinals are getting some murky news about two of their most promising players. Cardinals' Sonny Gray and Lars Nootbaar are progressing with rehabilitation but not yet ready to make the jump back to the team's player roster, per The Athletic. Both players have been dealing with nagging injuries.
Gray's status for Cardinals
Gray has been dealing with a hamstring injury that he suffered during spring training. He's a highly-anticipated player for the team, as he signed a three-year, $75 million contract with St. Louis last November. The hurler is throwing in the bullpen on Saturday, but is not ready to be upgraded from the team's injured list. He is eligible to be removed from the list on April 9. No decision has been made on whether to remove him then, per The Athletic.
Gray spent the last two seasons with the Minnesota Twins. He picked up 16 victories while he was in the Twin Cities. He finished the 2023 season with a 2.79 earned run average, after appearing in 32 games. Gray is a journeyman, who has spent his time in the MLB with several franchises. The Cardinals are expecting a heavy load of innings this year from the pitcher, with his first season in a Red Birds uniform.
Nootbaar has also been having issues staying healthy. He had hurt his ribs during the offseason, which has kept him off the diamond for St. Louis. Nootbaar has been playing for the team's triple-A franchise is Memphis, as he works to rehabilitate himself. The outfielder has struggled to hit well, but is expected to play Saturday for Memphis and be a designated hitter on Sunday, per The Athletic. The team seems to be closing in on upgrading him back to the full roster.
The Cardinals are already thin in the outfield, as Dylan Carlson has also been out hurt. The team has used Victor Scott from their farm system to fill in gaps. The Red Birds would certainly love to have Nootbaar back very soon, and they may get their wish. Nootbaar could come back to the team as soon as Monday, per CBS Sports.
Nootbaaar has played his entire MLB career in St. Louis. The outfielder finished the 2023 season with a .261 batting average, on a career-high 426 at-bats. He smashed 14 home runs, and drove in 46 runs for the Red Birds. The team finished the year with a disappointing 71-91 record, which is not acceptable to fans of the team who have come to expect success.
The Cardinals are in action Saturday in a series against the lowly Miami Marlins. The first pitch is at 2:15 Eastern. St. Louis is 4-4 on the season so far. The Marlins have yet to win a game this season.
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