The St. Louis Cardinals are going to get back one of their top outfielders in the not-so-distant future.

In fact, we now know the latest it will be, at least. Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that the plan is that Lars Nootbaar will begin his long-awaited minor league rehab assignment on Friday night with Low-A Palm Beach.

"The Cardinals are preparing to start outfielder Lars Nootbaar’s rehab assignment Friday with Low-A Palm Beach, and he would make his season debut that evening," Goold wrote. "The Cardinals wanted to see how Nootbaar recovered from going through pre-game workouts and warmups Thursday. ...

"He’s currently on the 60-day injured list and is eligible to come off May 24. Once he begins a rehab assignment, Nootbaar will have 20 days as a position player that he can spend with any minor-league affiliate, unless he has a setback. The Cardinals are planning to have him move up through the system based on schedule as he nears a return to St.…