Streaking Cardinals put rest of baseball on notice with latest roster move

Since the end of May, the St. Louis Cardinals had been without their star right fielder Lars Nootbaar. The young slugger injured his oblique on May 29 against the Cincinnati Reds and was subsequently placed on the injured list.

However, the Cardinals got a shot in the arm on Monday when Nootbaar was activated from the 10-day injured list. In a corresponding move, St. Louis sent infielder Jose Fermin back down to Triple-A Memphis.

Nootbaar picked up a hit in his first game back as the Cardinals defeated the Washington Nationals by a final score of 6-0 to claim their fourth series victory in five tries.

Cardinals receive boost with Lars Nootbaar's return

Having Nootbaar back is a big boost for the Cardinals, and they felt his presence immediately on Monday as they claimed the finale of their series against the Nationals. But the timing of this is perfect for St. Louis.

Not only is Nootbaar back, but it won't be long before Ivan Herrera and Tommy Edman also return from the injured list. This will give St. Louis a chance to get fully healthy, as they'll finally have their envisioned lineup ready to go for the first time all season.

But Nootbaar brings great energy to the Cardinals, and that should help them stay hot and remain in the National League playoff picture. St. Louis has a record of 33-18 since May 12, which is the best mark in the National League in that time frame.

The Cardinals looked like certain sellers at that point in the season but have since put themselves in a position to add rather than subtract while also completely changing the narrative around their season.

Nootbaar's energy should give St. Louis a major morale boost as they look to stay hot and finish the first half on a good note. At this point last year, the Cardinals were well under .500 and far out of postseason contention. Now, they look like a clear contender and will certainly benefit from adding pieces at the deadline.

At 48-42, the Cardinals are now just 4.5 games back of the first-place Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central, and the return of the fan-favorite outfielder could give them the push they need to take down their division rivals and capture their second NL Central title in three years.