Out the first 60 games following double heel surgery, Lars Nootbaar was all smiles upon his return on Friday night when he had hits in two of his first four at bats.
Smiling almost nonstop and downright giddy to be back with the Cardinals after missing the first 60 games, Lars Nootbaar has the joy of a kid on the first day of school.
Or a baseball player on Opening Day.
“It feels like Opening Day for me,” said Nootbaar before playing his first MLB game of 2026 -- one in which he had an infield single, an RBI double and a run scored. “It's a good feeling, and I’m so excited to be back and excited to be back with these guys. Obviously, they've been playing some good ball, and so be able to integrate with these guys. It's a lot of fun, but yeah, it’s been a long road for me.”
Nootbaar, who has been dogged by injuries over the past three seasons, has been on a long and winding road to recovery after having Haglund’s deformities removed from both heels back in October. The painful spurs were extremely limiting during games and made recovery from the daily grind of a 162-game season even more grueling.
Finally healthy after months of rehab, drills and stints in the Minor Leagues, Nootbaar is hopeful that playing pain free will allow him to reach the star-like potential many have felt is within him.
“Definitely, like running around it did (limit him), so in that aspect, potentially (he can be better),” Nootbaar said. “I guess we'll see (how much better he can be). I can't make any promises. First time going through it, so I don't really know exactly what to expect, but based off how my progression went – there's still some soreness – but every day it's getting better.
“The more I play, the more my feet and ankles get used to it, and so I guess is encouraging,”
Nootbaar, who was back in the leadoff spot with standout rookie JJ Wetherholt nursing a groin strain, showed off his new wheels in the first inning by beating out an infield single and reaching second on a throwing error by Reds’ shortstop Edwin Arroyo. However, Nootbaar’s excitement about being back got him in trouble when he bolted for third on an infield grounder and Arroyo easily threw him out at third base.
Before his third at bat of the game, Nootbaar had to step away from the plate and be attended to by trainer Chris Conroy after getting something in his eye. Nootbaar seemed fine, driving the ball the opposite way and missing a homer by just a few feet.
Then, in his fourth at bat of the night, Nootbaar fouled off two two-strike pitches before driving the ball off the wall to score Victor Scott. Nootbaar then scored easily from second base following a single by Ivan Herrera to right field.
Patience in rehab allowed Nootbaar to return ready
Cardinals’ manager Oliver Marmol is proud of how the club was able to be patient with Nootbaar and allow him to spend more than two months of the regular season working his way back from the two heel injuries. The Cardinals basically tried to recreate a Spring Training for Nootbaar, so that he could progress through the drills ahead of him and get to the big leagues only when he was fully ready.
“He was able to check a lot of the boxes and get here without rushing his return,” Marmol told reporters. “We’ve been able to work him pretty good to make sure that he can withstand what we’re going to call on him to do. Night game (Friday) and day game (on Saturday) and we’ll be smart about how he comes out of games and how he is recovering.”
Marmol insisted that when Wetherholt returns, he will be back in the leadoff spot and the Cardinals will find a different spot for Nootbaar. Could they also find a defensive spot for Nootbaar with the team struggling to get much steady production from it center fielders.
Happy and feeling, Nootbaar said he is ready for whatever challenge that is put in front of him.
“I was joking with Oli when my first day jogging on the treadmill, I was like, ‘I'm going to be ready for center field when I get back,’ and he laughed and said, ‘I'll give these people that were working with me down in Jupiter a hell of a raise if that's the case.’
“But I just want to be able to play anywhere – kind of going back to (2021, 2022, 2023) because that's kind of when it started and I was able to play anywhere in the outfield. I always joke around that I want to be like Benjamin Button and start aging backward now that I got this (double heel surgery) down. So, yeah, hopefully at any point they can throw me anywhere.”
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