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I wonder who the odd man out will be when Nootbaar gets added to the active roster? I can only think of Roycroft or Hence, maybe Bruihl. But I highly doubt they’ll trade a pitcher for a position player. Or if Nootbaar is dealt, which I doubt too. I would hope the Cards continue to play Torres.
C Jimmy Crooks has been recalled from Memphis (AAA).
OF Nelson Velázquez has been selected from Memphis.
INF César Prieto and C Yohel Pozo have been optioned to Memphis. pic.twitter.com/ZxdT3em72d
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) May 29, 2026
It ocurred to me that either Urias (elbow) or Church (shoulder) might be shifted to the 60 IL when Noot is ready.
Only if they are more seriously injured than reported. Urias is getting closer to swinging a bat again and Church has started a throwing program, though I have no specific timetable for either.
Only if they are more seriously injured than reported
Yes. Speaking of which, its been three and a half months since Henderson was shut down with a strain, has there been anything said or heard of him?
It needs to be a position player that we would lose for Nootbaar because we are low on pitching options as it is – otherwise it probably would be Roycroft.
4 choices as I see it:
Velasquez – no options, limited defense, but maybe the best hitter of this bunch and he’s right handed. Also, still young enough that he may improve.
Prieto – Young, has options, challenges Velasquez for best hitter of this group, versatile on defense, but left handed and we have gobs of 2B/3B guys.
Fermin – No options remaining. The most versatile of this group. Right handed. Probably just a notch below the above 2 in hitting potential, but fairly equal to them today.
Pozo – Pozo isn’t really needed anymore especially with Bernal on the 40-man. He does have options and is right handed. The stats say he’s a really bad hitter. But boy oh boy the few hits he does get have come at perfect times. Still, I don’t think there is any reason to keep him.
J, if neither Urias nor Church goes to the 60 man, then they plus Noot will all be returning soon. You need to add them into the equation as to who might be surplus and lose their 40 man slot one way or another.
I tend to think that Torres and Scott may both get sent down along with Saggese in the event all 3 of those return without another injury.
Nootbaar returns. Torres optioned. Pozo removed from 40-man.
Urias returns. Saggese optioned.
Church returns. Scott optioned.
I do think it’s entirely possible that Fermin or Velasquez also is DFA. But for right now, those listed above would be the easiest path (if you think biting the bullet and optioning Scott is easy).
It does illustrate that guys like Baez and Jordan will have to claw through a thicket to get to St louis, with Jordan needing to find a 40 man slot.
The thicket is more like a thinnet in terms of actually good players. The OF right now is stacked with mediocre players, outside of Walker. Nootbaar is TBD when he comes back, but should be around average. The rest of the outfield roster isn’t exactly the early 2000s when we had Edmonds, Pujols and Drew (or later Sanders, Walker, etc.) out there.
It’s hard to imagine that Baez isn’t one of the 2027 outfielders, whenever the season does get going.
Yeah if the Cardinals were aggressively trying to win this year I imagine Baez would already be here. The fact that they haven’t promoted him yet is actually a positive sign to me. We finally have a FO who is going to allow these guys to fully develop.
Welp there goes Mr. Rule 5.
The Cardinals shake up their pitching with a roster move. pic.twitter.com/4XY5L434oY
— Dealin' the Cards (@DealinTheCards) May 31, 2026
Arms on the #STLCards 40-man roster who aren’t currently on the 26-man
Fitts (out for the year)
Roby (out for the year)
Hjerpe (still rehabbing)
Mautz (optioned on 5/26, cannot be recalled until 6/10 barring injury)
Svanson (optioned on 5/24, cannot be recalled until 6/8)
Hence…— Josh Jacobs (@joshjaco98) May 31, 2026
It was nice to see Liberatore and Dobbins pitch well. Dobbins gave the bullpen a rest. Surely he deserves a start. But I wonder if Jordan, Gastelum, or Rajcic might be added. They’re all be Rule 5 eligible this November along with Mathews, Lin and Henderson. I also can see Mendoza replacing Fermin, at some point, as he will have options.
Now for who might lose their 40 man spot. Roycroft is an obvious choice. Prieto is vulnerable as well. Even Hence might be considered, although I would think he might be given another year.Another interesting is who might get a promotion in our minors. I would guess moving up Dobbins might set off a chain reaction of promotions. Could Franklin join Doyle at AA, or possibly Fajardo? I would hope Hendersons rehab should start soon, and he could fill in a slot at AAA. Meanwhile maybe build up Rincon to start? Davis has had 2 great games, but likely will stay put in Springfield. Molina has been solid. Lin is still a work in progress. Palm and FCL likely may move someone into a starting role from the bullpen. Graham and Van Dyke have already been ported.
These next few months will be exciting. We should see some of our rehabbing prospects pitch again. And the ‘26 draft picks will have a limited impact at Palm Beach and our FCL club soon.
Hi Brian
I came to this thread seeking info on Nootbaar’s eminent return — thanks.But the search on Nootbaar seemed to fail
as it only gave results 2024 and earlier. Did I do something wrong, or is it broken, or what?
Thanks, Frank
Frank,
Nootbaar is rehabbing at AA Springfield right now. He has been rehabbing for about 2 weeks now. My guess would be he stays in Springfield or Memphis another week before they add him back to the ML roster, but it’s possible he gets added as soon as today.
Thank you Jnevel,
Much appreciated. I hope he comes back stronger.Interesting free mlb article on his tenure and uniqueness:
Frank
With AA Springfield heading on the road and AAA Memphis at home, the #stlcards have transferred OF Lars Nootbaar's rehab back to the International League Redbirds. pic.twitter.com/FD673r12Ln
— Brian Walton (@B_Walton) June 1, 2026
Ryan Murphy goes down to Spr and Colton Ledbetter moves to Memphis’ Development List.
Red hot UT Noah Mendlinger and SP Brandt Thompson have been promoted to Triple-A Memphis from Double-A Springfield. With Hunter Dobbins remaining with the #stlcards (at least for now), Thompson could slip into the Redbirds rotation.
— Brian Walton (@B_Walton) June 1, 2026
Frank – you’re welcome. It also came out today that Noot would play in Memphis Tuesday and Wednesday. That sets him up to return to the big leagues on Friday. So barring a new injury, we will see Noot on Friday.
As I have stated before I would like to add Hansen and Rajcic. You could dfa Bruihl and Roycroft. Another possibility is to dfa/trade Stanek. I only think this because the FO seems much more willing to eat salary. The team might be able to eatb$2 mill of the remaining salary, which is far less than the salary absorbed by the Arenad and Gray trades.
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