April 1, 2025
St. Louis Cardinals outfielder
Lars Nootbaar went 2-for-3 with two walks, a homer, and two runs scored in a 5-4 loss to the Los Angeles Angels on Monday. Nootbaar kicked off the scoring for the Cardinals with a leadoff homer in the first inning. The veteran outfielder is off to a fast start in 2025, picking up six hits, including two homers, over 13 at-bats thus far. Nootbaar will look to continue the hot hitting as the calendar flips to April.
--Matt T - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
March 29, 2025
St. Louis Cardinals outfielder
Lars Nootbaar is starting in left field and is back in the leadoff spot for the team's second game of the season on Saturday against the visiting Minnesota Twins and right-hander
Joe Ryan at Busch Stadium. As a result, shortstop
Masyn Winn will hit ninth for the second game in a row to begin the season. Nootbaar will see a notable boost in fantasy value if he sticks atop St. Louis' batting order in 2025 against right-handed pitchers. The 27-year-old got a good start on Opening Day on Thursday by going 2-for-4 with a two-run home run to help beat the Twins, and he'll hope to keep it going this weekend. Although he has only faced Ryan three times in his career, he has taken him deep once and driven in two runs. Nootbaar has struggled to stay on the field since 2023 due to injuries, but if he can stay healthy in 2025, a breakout campaign could be coming.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
March 27, 2025
St. Louis Cardinals outfielder
Lars Nootbaar launched a two-run home run as part of a 2-for-4 performance in a win over the Twins. He led off in this game against a right-handed pitcher, which is a positive sign for his future fantasy outlook. Nootbaar came into 2025 with some sleeper appeal after slashing .290/.420/.565 in September to close out last season. He posted an excellent 49.5% hard-hit rate and walked at a 12.8% clip in 2024. He has the skills to be a fantasy difference-maker if he can put it all together, and he is worth a speculative add in any leagues where he is available.
--Jeremy Heist - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
March 24, 2025
St. Louis Cardinals outfielder
Lars Nootbaar is starting in left field and batting leadoff for Monday's exhibition game against Triple-A Memphis, with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Derrick Goold noting that it's the same lineup that manager Oliver Marmol plans to use on Opening Day this Thursday against the Minnesota Twins. Meanwhile, shortstop
Masyn Winn is hitting ninth for the Red Birds. Although this setup could change eventually and is likely to be different against a left-hander, Winn's short-term fantasy upside will suffer after he hit just .080 (4-for-50) with no homers an RBI, two steals and 16 strikeouts in 55 plate appearances over 17 Grapefruit League games this spring. Nootbaar, meanwhile, hit .268 (11-for-41) with a homer, seven RBI and one steal in 18 games. The 27-year-old left-handed hitter could be a nice asset for on-base percentage in deep-mixed leagues as outfield depth.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: St. Louis Post-Dispatch - Derrick Goold
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