The St. Louis Cardinals are one step away from getting one of their outfielders back into the mix. St. Louis hasn't had Lars Nootbaar available for a game yet this season. He's down in the minors on a rehab assignment after undergoing offseason surgery on both of his heels to correct Haglund's deformities. Nootbaar began his minor league rehab assignment on May 15 with Class-A Palm Beach. When a position player begins a minor league rehab assignment, they have a maximum of 20 days before the club has to activate them or option them. The deadline for Nootbaar and the Cardinals is coming up in early June. On Tuesday, the Cardinals announced that Nootbaar has progressed to the next step in his recovery and has been transferred to Triple-A Memphis."OF Lars Nootbaar's MLB injury rehab assignment has been transferred from Palm Beach (A) to Memphis (AAA)," the Cardinals announced. "RHP Cade Winquest (AAA) has been activated from the 7-day IL. RHP Andrew Dutkanych IV (A) began a rehab assignment with the FCL Cardinals. RHP Ian Bedell (AAA) has been placed on the Development List." The Cardinals Are Going To Get Lars Nootbaar Back SoonAug 31, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar (21) high fives teammates after scoring on a sacrifice fly out hit by designated hitter Ivan Herrera (not pictured) in the third inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images | Katie Stratman-Imagn ImagesOF Lars Nootbaar's MLB injury rehab assignment has been transferred from Palm Beach (A) to Memphis (AAA).RHP Cade Winquest (AAA) has been activated from the 7-day IL.RHP Andrew Dutkanych IV (A) began a rehab assignment with the FCL Cardinals.RHP Ian Bedell (AAA) has been…— Cardinals Player Development (@CardsPlayerDev) May 19, 2026The Cardinals entered the day on Tuesday with a 27-19 record, despite the fact that they haven't had one of their key contributors on the field for a single game yet this season. The Cardinals have rolled with an outfield featuring Jordan Walker in right field, Victor Scott II in center field, and Nathan Church in left field for much of the season to this point. Of the three, Scott has struggled the most offensively. He entered the day on Tuesday slashing .189/.248/.261 with a .509 OPS, two homers, seven RBIs, and six stolen bases in 44 games played. The 2025 season was a down season for Nootbaar, but it was still better than the production the club has gotten out of Scott so far offensively. Last year, Nootbaar slashed .234/.325/.361 with a .686 OPS, 13 homers, and 48 RBIs in 135 games played. Even if he could bring that production to the Cardinals' lineup, they would be in a better place right away. If he could look closer to how he did in 2024, this Cardinals team will see a significant boost. In 2024, Nootbaar slashed .244/.342/.417 with a .758 OPS, 12 homers and 45 RBIs. It certainly seems like the Cardinals are close to getting an everday player back into the mix. Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow