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Aug. 28: OF Lars Nootbaar (groin contusion) expected to begin rehab stint, could return by Friday
Out since Aug. 16 after fouling a ball off his groin, Nootbaar has progressed to the point that he will work out with the Cardinals for a second straight day on Tuesday and then go to Triple-A Memphis on a rehab assignment on Wednesday.

Nootbaar was eligible to come off the 10-day injured list on Sunday, but his recovery from the contusion has taken much longer than first expected. Thumb, back and groin injuries have limited him to 90 games this season, during which he has hit .283 with 12 home runs, 39 RBIs and an .835 OPS. The groin injury interrupted Nootbaar’s stellar second half, in which he’s batting .330 with seven home runs, 14 RBIs and an eye-popping 1.027 OPS in 30 games.

“I think I’m pretty close, and [I] will be back at some point this week,” Nootbaar said. “I’m going [to hit off the pitching] machine today and I did some defense and running in Philadelphia, and I’m optimistic about a return soon.”

Aug. 28: RHP Ryan Helsley (right forearm tightness) expected to be activated on Wednesday
Back with the Cardinals following a fifth rehab outing on Sunday, Helsley is hopeful that he will be reactivated by Wednesday. Bothered by lingering pain in his forearm throughout his rehab process, Helsley said he was relieved by a recent MRI and ultrasound showing no damage to his flexor tendon or ulnar collateral ligament.

“They were very pleased with how everything looked [in the forearm], and I haven’t had studies like that done since 2018. And they were pleased with how much I’ve thrown in the past four or five years, and everything still looked good,” Helsley said. “There wasn’t anything concerning, and now we’re just going off my feel and responses.”

A year after going 9-1 with 19 saves and a 1.25 ERA in 2022, Helsley is 3-4 with a 3.24 ERA this season. He hasn’t pitched at the MLB level since experiencing right forearm pain after an outing on June 7. Helsley has seven saves in 11 opportunities this season, and he has struck out 33 batters in 25 innings pitched. In five outings with Double-A Springfield and Triple-A Memphis, Helsley allowed eight hits and four runs in 4 1/3 innings while striking out four.

“I think Wednesday is the goal, barring any setbacks that I don’t see as likely,” said Helsley, who allowed three hits and two earned runs on Sunday with Double-A Springfield. “Based on the way I feel today, it should be better tomorrow and then be great on Wednesday and hopefully get activated then.”

Aug. 28: RHP Drew VerHagen activated from bereavement list; RHP James Naile optioned to Triple-A Memphis
VerHagen returned to the team after landing on the bereavement list on Aug. 25. The right-hander has a 4.20 ERA in 48 appearances, but has found a groove in August, allowing just one run in 10 appearances.

To open a slot for VerHagen, the Cardinals sent Naile to Triple-A one day after recalling him. It's becoming a familiar pattern for Naile; the move marked the fifth time this season he's been recalled and optioned. He has pitched to an 8.80 ERA in 10 appearances.

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INJURY UPDATES

10-day and 15-day IL

OF Lars Nootbaar (groin contusion)
Expected return: Possibly by Sept. 1
While Nootbaar's recovery from a groin contusion is admittedly taking much longer than he ever expected it to, he said that he has progressed to the point where he will go on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Memphis on Aug. 30. If that goes well, Nootbaar is hopeful he will be able to return to the Cardinals by Sept. 1.

Nootbaar, who hasn’t played since fouling a ball off his groin on Aug. 16, was one of the Cardinals' hottest hitters over the second half of the season. In 30 games since the All-Star break, Nootbaar has batted .330 with seven home runs, 14 RBIs and a 1.027 OPS. (Last updated: Aug. 28)

RHP Guillermo Zuñiga (right forearm strain)
Expected return: TBD
Zuñiga was recalled on Aug. 25 from Triple-A Memphis after right-hander Drew VerHagen was placed on the bereavement list. Zuñiga last pitched on Aug. 19 against the Mets, allowing one run over one inning. He began feeling pain in the forearm during a bullpen session shortly before landing on the IL. (Last updated: Aug. 27)

LHP Matthew Liberatore (low back tightness)
Expected return: TBD
Liberatore experienced some back discomfort after lifting weights, and after initially pushing his start back from Aug. 21 to Aug. 23, the club opted to place him on the injured list Aug. 22. The move is retroactive to Aug. 19.

In 12 games (11 starts) this season, he's 2-5 with a 6.12 ERA across 50 innings. (Last updated: Aug. 22)

OF Dylan Carlson (lingering ankle soreness, oblique strain)
Expected return: TBD
Carlson was placed on the 10-day injured list on Aug. 12, retroactive to Aug. 10, because of a left oblique strain. The former first-round Draft pick felt something in his left side after a swing during his first-bat on Aug. 9 vs. Tampa Bay at St. Petersburg. He was kept out of the lineup the next two games before imaging revealed he had a strain, resulting in an IL stint. He is also still dealing with a left ankle injury he sustained in May, and he received a pain-killing injection in that ankle on Aug. 21. The team is hopeful he will be able to resume light baseball drills after seven days. (Last updated: Aug. 22)

RHP Jake Woodford (right shoulder strain)
Expected return: Late August
Woodford, who was placed on the 15-day IL on June 30 due to pain in his throwing shoulder, made his first rehab start with Double-A Springfield on Aug. 10. The righty struck out two in his lone inning, but he gave up two runs on one hit and one walk. Woodford is scheduled to start again Aug. 13 with Springfield.

Woodford felt discomfort on June 29 after he allowed four runs (including a long home run to Astros slugger Kyle Tucker) on four hits and two walks in 2 1/3 innings. It was the second time this season that the 26-year-old Woodford went on the IL with right shoulder irritation. (Last updated: Aug. 11)

INF/OF Brendan Donovan (right elbow surgery)
Expected return: Spring Training 2024
Donovan underwent season-ending surgery on Aug. 2 to repair the damaged ligament in his right elbow. Donovan was a candidate for the interior brace procedure -- one that repairs and anchors the ligament -- rather than Tommy John surgery.

Donovan should be ready for the start of Spring Training in 2024, manager Oliver Marmol said. For the season, Donovan hit .281 with a career-best .781 OPS after smashing 11 home runs and 10 doubles and driving in 34 runs. (Last updated: Aug. 2)

60-day IL

RHP Ryan Helsley (right forearm tightness)
Expected return: Potentially Aug. 30
If all goes well, Helsley said on Aug. 28, he will return to the Cardinals' active roster on Aug. 30, and will be available to pitch for the rest of the season after battling his way through lingering right forearm tightness and pain for the past three months.

Helsley hasn’t pitched at the MLB level since registering a save on June 7, and he’s been bothered by lingering pain between rehab appearances at the Minor League level. But a recent MRI and ultrasound showed that his flexor tendon and ulnar collateral ligament are sound, clearing him for a return. Helsley said his return could feature him pitching only on scheduled days and only in clean innings until he is fully cleared for daily work. (Last updated: Aug. 28)

RHP Wilking Rodriguez (right shoulder pain)
Expected return: September
Rodriguez, a Rule 5 Draft selection from the Yankees who was supposed to contend for a spot in the Cardinals' bullpen, had what was expected to be season-ending surgery on his right shoulder on May 3, according to manager Oliver Marmol at the time, but the 33-year-old Rodriguez threw a bullpen session on Aug. 10, and Marmol hopes that the righty can begin a rehab assignment by the end of August.

Rodriguez appeared in seven Spring Training games, but he opened the regular season on the injured list because of recurring shoulder pain. He made three appearances with Triple-A Memphis, but pain eventually returned in his shoulder. (Last updated: Aug. 11)

LHP Packy Naughton (left forearm strain)
Expected return: 2024
Naughton was forced to leave the April 7 loss to the Brewers in the eighth inning with numbness in his left arm. Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said on June 19 that Naughton would undergo surgery on June 26, sidelining the left-hander for the remainder of 2023. (Last updated: June 19)

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