Donovan is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Pirates.
The lefty-hitting Donovan will get a breather in the series finale with St. Louis opposing a left-handed starting pitcher (Rich Hill). Donovan had started in each of the Cardinals' last 10 games, slashing .273/.415/.576 with three home runs and two stolen bases. With all of Tyler O'Neill (back), Dylan Carlson (ankle) and Lars Nootbaar (back) on the injured list, Donovan should be a near-everyday player in the corner outfield for the foreseeable future.
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Cardinals' Brendan Donovan: Socks sixth homer
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Donovan went 1-for-4 with a walk and a two-run home run in Friday's 7-5 loss to the Pirates.
He opened the scoring on the night by taking Roansy Contreras deep in the third inning for his sixth homer of the year. Donovan has been holding down an everyday role due to multiple injuries in the Cardinals' outfield, and while he got his June off to a quick start, the grind took its toll in May -- the 26-year-old finished the month with a .228/.358/.354 slash line.
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Cardinals' Brendan Donovan: Batting leadoff
Rotowire
Donovan is starting in left field and batting leadoff Friday in Pittsburgh, John Denton of MLB.com reports.
With Lars Nootbaar (back) landing on the injured list, Donovan could be the Cardinals' regular leadoff man against right-handers for a bit. He's sporting a .253/.344/.370 slash line with five home runs and four stolen bases on the season.
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Cardinals' Brendan Donovan: Carries offense in win
Rotowire
Donovan went 1-for-2 with a solo home run, two walks, two total runs and a stolen base in a 2-1 extra-inning win against Cleveland on Saturday.
St. Louis managed only two hits in the contest, with one of them being Donovan's solo homer in the second inning. The utility man used his legs to notch the team's only other run, swiping third base as the automatic runner in the 10th and coming home to score on a passed ball. Donovan has reached base safely in seven straight games, batting .368 (7-for-19) with two homers, seven runs, two RBI, seven walks and two thefts over that span.
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Cardinals' Brendan Donovan: Pops fourth homer
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Donovan went 1-for-3 with a walk and a solo home run in Wednesday's 10-3 loss to the Reds.
He took Ben Lively deep in the fourth inning for his fourth homer of the year, but the Cardinals were already in a 5-0 hole at that point. Donovan remains an everyday player due to all the injuries in the St. Louis outfield, but his .217/.347/.333 slash line in May offers little fantasy appeal.
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Cardinals' Brendan Donovan: Gets aboard three times in win
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Donovan went 2-for-3 with a double, a walk, a stolen base and two runs scored in Tuesday's 8-5 win over the Reds.
Donovan filled in at first base with Paul Goldschmidt resting his legs as the designated hitter. Prior to Tuesday's multi-hit effort, Donovan had gone 1-for-15 in his last five contests. The utility man is slashing .250/.333/.343 with three home runs, three steals, 11 RBI, 20 runs scored and four doubles through 159 plate appearances. His ability to play all around the diamond has helped him maintain fairly regular playing time despite not having a steady position. Most of Donovan's starts lately have come in the outfield with the Cardinals missing Tyler O'Neill (back) and Dylan Carlson (ankle).
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Cardinals' Brendan Donovan: Day off versus lefty
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Donovan is not in the starting lineup Monday versus the Reds, John Denton of MLB.com reports.
Donovan will get a breather after he went 1-for-14 with two runs scored, two walks and four strikeouts over the Cardinals' four-game series with the Dodgers. Additionally, left-hander Brandon Williamson is on the mound for the Reds, so righty bat Juan Yepez will take over in left field and bat fifth in the series opener with Cincinnati.
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Cardinals' Brendan Donovan: Remains on bench
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Donovan will sit Saturday against the Red Sox, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.
Chris Sale is the third consecutive lefty the Cardinals have faced, and Donovan has sat against each of them. He's started just once against a southpaw all season and hasn't done so in over a month.
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Cardinals' Brendan Donovan: Sits against southpaw
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Donovan isn't in the lineup for Friday's game against Boston.
Donovan will head to the bench for a second consecutive matchup with southpaw James Paxton starting for the Red Sox on Friday. Juan Yepez is taking over in left field and batting fifth.
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Cardinals' Brendan Donovan: Starting again in left field
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Donovan is starting in left field and batting sixth for the Cardinals on Monday versus the Cubs, John Denton of MLB.com reports.
The trickle-down effect of the Cards' bizarre decision to move Willson Contreras off catcher means Donovan will play a lot more in the outfield while Nolan Gorman handles second base. However, when Tyler O'Neill (back) returns it will create another logjam.
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Cardinals' Brendan Donovan: Goes yard in Sunday's win
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Donovan went 2-for-3 with a three run homer in Sunday's 12-6 win over the Tigers.
Donovan supplied what wound up being the game-winning run for the Cardinals after a three-run blast in the sixth put them up on the Tigers, 7-6. The long ball was his first since April 2 and his third overall on the year. Donovan his primarily started against righties only this season and may be in and out of the lineup this week with the Cardinals scheduled to face three lefties. For the year, the 26-year-old is slashing .268/.327/.392 with six extra base hits, nine RBI, 13 runs and a 7:20 BB:K over 107 plate appearances.
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Cardinals' Brendan Donovan: Sitting against lefty
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Donovan is not in the lineup Friday against the Tigers.
Tommy Edman will play second base and bat leadoff with left-hander Matthew Boyd on the mound for Detroit. Paul DeJong is handling shortstop duties and hitting seventh.
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Cardinals' Brendan Donovan: Sitting against lefty
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Donovan isn't starting Tuesday against the Angels, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.
With southpaw Patrick Sandoval slated to start the game for Los Angeles, the left-swinging Donovan will take a seat to begin Tuesday's contest. He'll be replaced at second base by Tommy Edman, allowing Paul DeJong to start at shortstop and bat seventh.
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Cardinals' Brendan Donovan: Out against Kershaw
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Donovan is not in Saturday's lineup against the Dodgers, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.
With tough southpaw Clayton Kershaw starting for the Dodgers, the Cardinals are going with as many righties as possible to start the game. Paul DeJong is starting at shortstop, with Tommy Edman at second base.
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Cardinals' Brendan Donovan: Not in lineup for finale
Rotowire
Donovan is not in the starting lineup Thursday at San Francisco.
Tommy Edman will play second base and bat ninth with Paul DeJong taking a turn at shortstop and hitting sixth. Donovan has fallen into a bit of a slump but should remain a key piece of the Cardinals' offensive and defensive blueprint.
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Cardinals' Brendan Donovan: Sitting again Sunday
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Donovan is out of the lineup of Sunday's game against the Mariners.
The 26-year-old rejoined the lineup Friday after sitting out a couple days due to an infected abrasion in his lower left leg, but he's out of the starting nine Sunday for the second straight day. It's unclear if the injury is still bothersome for Donovan, or if manager Oliver Marmol is simply prioritizing other matchups this weekend.
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Cardinals' Brendan Donovan: Sitting Saturday
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Donovan will hit the bench Saturday against Seattle.
Donovan returned from a left shin abrasion Friday but went 0-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts, dropping his slash line to a modest .254/.311/.388. He homered twice in the opening series but hasn't cleared the fence since. Nolan Gorman will be the second baseman Saturday, with Alec Burleson serving as the designated hitter.
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Cardinals' Brendan Donovan: Back in lineup Friday
Rotowire
Donovan (shin) is back in the starting lineup Friday at Seattle.
Recovered from a left shin abrasion, Donovan will start at second base and bat leadoff in the Cardinals' series opener versus the Mariners and right-hander George Kirby. The 26-year-old is slashing .270/.329/.413 with two homers and two steals in 17 games this season.
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Cardinals' Brendan Donovan: Appears off bench Wednesday
Rotowire
Donovan (shin) came off the bench to play second base for the final two innings of Wednesday's 14-5 win over the Diamondbacks.
The Cardinals already held a 10-run lead heading into the top of the eighth, so manager Oliver Marmol's decision to use Donovan suggests that the team has no real concern about the utility player requiring a stint on the 10-day injured list. Donovan was out of the starting nine for the second straight game due to an abrasion on his left leg that caused a minor infection and some swelling, but he's responded well to antibiotics and rest over the past couple of days, per John Denton of MLB.com. Following a team off day Thursday, expect Donovan to return to the starting nine for Friday's series opener in Seattle.
Donovan (lower leg) is not in the starting lineup Wednesday against the Diamondbacks, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.
Donovan will miss a second game in a row Wednesday as he nurses a shin abrasion. Taylor Motter will draw another start, taking over at second base and batting eighth in the series finale with Arizona.
