Nootbaar (thumb) could be back for the Cardinals' weekend series against the Pirates, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

EDGE Analysis

Working his way back from a left thumb injury, Nootbaar took 40-50 swings in the batting cage and also hit flips and off a tee Monday. Assuming he bounces back well, he'll advance to hitting off a machine Tuesday. The last step would be for Nootbaar to catch line drives in the outfield, as squeezing his glove has caused the most pain. If that goes well, he should be activated before the end of the week.