Cardinals' Brendan Donovan: Homers off bench Thursday
Rotowire
Donovan went 1-for-1 with a two-run home run and a walk in Thursday's 6-1 win over the Reds.
Donovan didn't start this contest, receiving some rest after missing time with a foot infection that kept him out of action over the weekend. He delivered when called upon off the bench, drilling a two-run homer in the seventh inning and walking in the eighth as the Cardinals built up their lead in the late innings. Donovan is up to 12 homers this year, three of which he's swatted over his last 17 games. He's added a .272/.337/.405 slash line with 63 RBI, 60 runs scored, 30 doubles and four stolen bases across 137 contests in 2024.
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Cardinals' Brendan Donovan: Absent from lineup
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Donovan is not in the lineup for Thursday's contest versus the Reds.
Donovan returned from a brief absence with a foot infection to play the first two games of the series, but he'll sit out the rubber match. Thomas Saggese is at second base for the Cardinals.
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Cardinals' Brendan Donovan: Notches three hits in loss
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Donovan (foot) went 3-for-4 in Tuesday's 3-0 loss to the Reds.
Donovan missed two games due to an infection in his foot, but he was able to play all nine innings in the field Tuesday, splitting time between second base and left field. This was his third three-hit game in his last 12 contests, a span in which he's batting .354 (17-for-48) with five extra-base hits and five RBI. The 27-year-old is up to a .270/.334/.398 slash line with 11 home runs, four stolen bases, 61 RBI and 59 runs scored over 135 games this season.
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Cardinals' Brendan Donovan: Returns to St. Louis lineup
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Donovan (foot) will start at second base and bat leadoff in Tuesday's contest against the Reds.
Donovan was unavailable for the last two games while battling an infection in his foot, but he's feeling well enough to give it a go in the series opener versus Cincinnati. It's the first time in exactly one month that Donovan has batted leadoff, as Masyn Winn is receiving a day off.
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Cardinals' Brendan Donovan: Dealing with foot infection
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Donovan is sitting out Saturday's game against Seattle due to an infection in his foot, John Denton of MLB.com reports.
Manager Oliver Marmol said Donovan's infection makes it painful to put pressure on his foot, but the team is labeling him as day-to-day for the time being. Jose Fermin is slated to start at second base Saturday and would likely continue to do so if Donovan needs to miss any additional games.
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Cardinals' Brendan Donovan: Sitting down Saturday
Rotowire
Donovan isn't in the Cardinals' lineup for Saturday's game versus Seattle, Lynn Worthy of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
An 0-for-4 performance Friday snapped Donovan's seven-game hitting streak, during which he went 10-for-28 with a home run, four RBI and six runs scored. His absence Saturday will put Jose Fermin at the keystone for St. Louis.
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Cardinals' Brendan Donovan: Racks up three hits, three runs
Rotowire
Donovan went 3-for-5 with a double and three runs scored in Sunday's 14-7 win over the Yankees.
Donovan was one of four Cardinals to log three or more hits in the explosive team performance. He's gone 10-for-29 (.345) over his last seven games, logging a pair of three-hit efforts in that span. Donovan is now at a .266/.330/.398 slash line, 11 home runs, 61 RBI, 57 runs scored, 29 doubles, two triples and four stolen bases over 130 contests. He should see steady playing time at second base down the stretch with the Cardinals committing to Jordan Walker seeing everyday at-bats in the outfield.
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Cardinals' Brendan Donovan: Triples in three-hit performance
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Donovan went 3-for-4 with a triple and a run scored in Monday's 7-4 loss to the Padres.
Donovan entered Monday just 1-for-18 over his previous five games. He was steady at the plate, though he had few opportunities to help in run production after a poor showing from the heart of the Cardinals' lineup. Donovan has hit .272 (22-for-81) in August and now sports a .266/.331/.393 slash line through 124 contests overall. The utility man has added 10 home runs, 56 RBI, 52 runs scored, 27 doubles, two triples and four stolen bases. Since Nolan Gorman was sent down to Triple-A Memphis, Donovan has been the Cardinals' primary second baseman.
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Cardinals' Brendan Donovan: Racks up three hits in win
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Donovan went 3-for-5 with a double and a run scored in Friday's 8-5 win over the Royals.
Donovan has five multi-hit efforts over his last 12 games, batting .326 (14-for-43) in that span. He struggled just after the All-Star break, but he's at least making consistent contact again, though just two of those hits have gone for extra bases. For the season, Donovan is slashing .269/.335/.393 with nine home runs, 53 RBI, 47 runs scored, 24 doubles, one triple and three stolen bases across 110 contests.
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Cardinals' Brendan Donovan: Three hits, steal in loss
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Donovan went 3-for-3 with a walk, a stolen base and a run scored in Sunday's 8-3 loss to the Cubs.
Donovan has six multi-hit efforts over 13 games in July, going 18-for-52 (.346) in that span. The steal was his first since June 26 and his third of the campaign. The 27-year-old is up to a .276/.345/.411 slash line with eight home runs, 45 RBI, 43 runs scored, 22 doubles and one triple over 91 contests this season. Donovan has primarily played in left field, though he occasionally spells Nolan Gorman at second base or Nolan Arenado at third.
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Cardinals' Brendan Donovan: Nabs second steal
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Donovan went 2-for-4 with one RBI and one stolen base in a 4-1 win over Atlanta in Game 2 of Wednesday's doubleheader.
Donovan's eight-game hitting streak ended in the matinee with an 0-for-2 effort, but he bounced back in the nightcap, which was his eighth multi-hit effort in June. The 27-year-old also picked up his second steal of the campaign on his fifth attempt. Donovan is at a .270/.337/.419 slash line with eight home runs, 40 RBI and 35 runs scored across 74 contests. He's seen a majority of his playing time in left field but has also featured at second base, third base, right field and designated hitter as he continues to show some utility skills.
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Cardinals' Brendan Donovan: Racks up three hits in win
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Donovan went 3-for-4 with one RBI in Monday's 4-3 win over Atlanta.
Donovan has been dialed in for much of June. He's hit safely in 17 of his last 18 games, going 26-for-71 (.366) with seven extra-base hits and 14 RBI in that span. The 27-year-old is up to a .269/.333/.420 slash line with eight home runs, 39 RBI, 35 runs scored, 17 doubles, one triple and one stolen base over 72 contests. While he's mostly lost out on leadoff opportunities to Masyn Winn, Donovan is still hitting well deeper in the lineup.
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Cardinals' Brendan Donovan: Smacks homer Tuesday
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Donovan went 1-for-5 with a two-run home run in Tuesday's 9-8 extra-inning loss to the Marlins.
Donovan has gone 15-for-51 (.294) over his last 13 games, adding two homers and seven RBI in that span. The 27-year-old got a rare start at third base Tuesday with Nolan Arenado taking a day off, though Donovan has found consistent playing time between left field and second base for much of the year. He's at a .247/.319/.380 slash line with six homers, 32 RBI, 32 runs scored and one stolen base over 67 games.
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Cardinals' Brendan Donovan: Hits go-ahead home run
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Donovan went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Thursday's 4-3 win versus the Pirates.
The 27-year-old took Mitch Keller deep in the sixth inning for what turned out to be the game-deciding run. Donovan extended his hitting streak to eight contests and snapped a streak of 26 games without a homer in the process. He has gone 10-for-30 (.333) during his hitting streak and now carries a .248/.325/.380 slash line with five home runs and 29 RBI for the season.
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Cardinals' Brendan Donovan: Sitting again Sunday
Rotowire
Donovan (neck) is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Phillies.
The 27-year-old will be withheld from the starting nine for the third consecutive game due to neck stiffness. According to John Denton of MLB.com, Donovan is expected to take swings in the batting cage Sunday and could be back in action Monday against the Astros. Alec Burleson will start in left field for the series finale while Matt Carpenter receives a turn at designated hitter.
Donovan (neck) isn't in the Cardinals' lineup Saturday against Philadelphia.
Neck stiffness caused Donovan to be scratched from St. Louis' lineup before Friday's contest, and the issue seems to still be bothering him Saturday. Alec Burleson, Mike Siani and Dylan Carlson will start across the outfield while Donovan sits, allowing Jose Fermin to serve as the designated hitter.
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Cardinals' Brendan Donovan: Back in lineup
Rotowire
Donovan (elbow) is starting in left field Saturday against the Marlins, Lynn Worthy of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
Donovan was hit by two pitches during Wednesday's game against the Padres, prompting a day off Thursday to recover. Now seemingly healthy, the 27-year-old super-utility man will return to the top of the Cardinals' lineup and look to stay hot after slashing .308/.438/.500 to begin the year.
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Cardinals' Brendan Donovan: Smacks homer among three hits
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Donovan went 3-for-4 with a two-run home run, a double, a walk and three total runs in a 6-2 win against the Padres on Monday.
Donovan capped the scoring for St. Louis with a two-run blast to right field in the sixth inning. He added a single and a double for his first multi-hit game of the campaign. Prior to Monday, Donovan had gone just 2-for-18 with six strikeouts, but he has batted leadoff while starting in left field for each of St. Louis' five games so far, so he appears to be set in that role.
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Cardinals' Brendan Donovan: Had UCL, not flexor, repaired
Rotowire
Donovan revealed Thursday that his surgery last August was to repair a partial UCL tear in his right elbow, not the flexor tendon as had been previously reported, John Denton of MLB.com reports.
Donovan did deal with a flexor strain last season, but the operation he ultimately had was an internal brace procedure to correct his UCL. The 27-year-old has been limited to second base so far in camp as the Cardinals monitor his throwing, but he's played a couple Grapefruit League games and shouldn't be under any restrictions by the time the season begins.
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Cardinals' Brendan Donovan: Begins throwing program
Rotowire
Donovan (elbow) has begun a throwing program at the Cardinals' spring training complex in Florida, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
Donovan is coming along in his rehab after undergoing flexor tendon surgery in August. The expectation is that he will be ready to roll once spring training arrives. Donovan is expected to be a regular again for the Cardinals in 2024, although it might not necessarily be at a set position.
