The St. Louis Cardinals are reportedly placing OF Lars Nootbaar on the injured list, per Kate Woo. The move is corresponding to top prospect Jordan Walker being re-called to the big league club.

Nootbaar was recently forced to leave the Cardinals' game with an injury versus the Kansas City Royals. St. Louis wasn't sure if an IL stint would be necessary, but his injury was seemingly serious enough to warrant a trip to the injured list.

The Cardinals are dealing with a number of injuries at the moment. Although Nootbaar isn't having the best season, his absence will certainly be felt by the Cardinals.

Through 42 games, Nootbaar has been reliable. He's slashing .266/.380/.390 to go along with a .770 OPS. Nootbaar has also hit four home runs and stolen five bases. His slugging isn't incredibly impressive, but his .380 OBP stands out.

Nootbaar has walked 29 times for the Cardinals in 2023, compared to 38 strikeouts across 184 plate appearances. His 15.8 percent walk rate is the highest of his career. For a player who isn't considered a star, a .380 OBP is incredibly strong.

The return of Jordan Walker is exciting for Cardinals fans though. He is a top prospect who debuted with St. Louis to open the season. His numbers weren't bad by any means, but the Cardinals still made the decision to demote him at the end of April. Unless he really struggles moving forward, it seems likely that Walker will remain at the MLB level moving forward.

The Cardinals will take on the Pittsburgh Pirates in a crucial NL Central matchup on Friday at 7:05 PM EST.