St. Louis Cardinals

Lars Nootbaar

LF

Nootbaar is expected to begin playing his rehab games at Single-A Palm Beach before advancing to higher-level affiliates in what will be a lengthy assignment similar to spring training. Assuming he doesn't encounter any setbacks, he figures to make his season debut with the Cardinals in late May or early June.

Matt Pushard

RP

Pushard -- who is coming back from right knee tendinitis -- checked off what could be the final box on his rehab assignment checklist Sunday with the second of back-to-back appearances at Triple-A Memphis. He's pitched well over his last five rehab outings, yielding a total of one run with an 8:3 K:BB covering six innings. If the Rule 5 pick is added back to St. Louis' active roster, he'll be used in a low-leverage relief role.

Sem Robberse

SP

Robberse was non-tendered by St. Louis on Friday, but the club has since elected to bring him back on a minor-league deal. He's currently rehabbing from Tommy John surgery and is expected to miss the first few months of the 2026 campaign.

Victor Santos

RP

Santos reached Triple-A for the first time in 2022, but he missed the entire '23 campaign while dealing with an injury. He'll likely report to Triple-A Memphis to begin next season and fill in as organizational rotation depth.

Ixan Henderson

SP

Henderson reported to Cardinals camp in spring training with a flexor strain in his pitching arm and is now slated to miss at least the first two months of the minor-league season. It's unclear whether the left-hander has resumed throwing or remains shut down. Henderson had a breakout 2025 season at Double-A Springfield, holding a 2.59 ERA and 134:51 K:BB in 132 innings across 25 starts.

Ramon Urias

3B

It's "tennis elbow" in layman's terms. Urias did miss a bit of action during spring training with what was simply called arm soreness at the time, so it's possible this is an injury that's bothered him off and on since then. Thomas Saggese is taking Urias' spot on the active roster.

Packy Naughton

RP

Naughton will seek a second opinion before determining his next steps, but the 29-year-old lefty could be facing another elbow surgery after missing most of 2024 and all of 2025 due to a pair of elbow procedures.

Zack Thompson

RP

Thompson was attending big-league spring training as a non-roster invitee, but he hadn't appeared in any Grapefruit League games while continuing to work his way back from arthroscopic surgery on his left shoulder, which he underwent back in August. The southpaw has initiated a throwing program but hasn't yet gotten back on a mound, so he still has multiple checkpoints to reach in the recovery process before being deemed ready for game action.