Analysis: The St. Louis left fielder opened the game's scoring with his sixth career leadoff homer, launching it 365 feet to right field. Nootbaar entered the contest as a career .266/.365/.465 hitter in the leadoff spot, which he should continue to occupy for the foreseeable future. The 27-year-old could be poised for a solid season so long as he can stay on the field, as he has surpassed the 500 plate appearance mark just once in his previous four seasons due to injuries.

Analysis: Nootbaar occupied the leadoff spot in all three contests against the Twins' right-handers over the weekend and he'll stay there Monday even versus a southpaw. The 27-year-old doesn't have notable splits in his career, having put up a .786 OPS against righties and .753 OPS versus lefties. Nootbaar has reached base eight times in the first three games of the 2025 season.