The St. Louis Cardinals activated infielder Brendan Donovan (groin) from the 10-day injured list on Friday, and he's in the starting lineup for the series opener against the division-rival Milwaukee Brewers and right-hander Quinn Priester. Donovan is manning second base and will hit leadoff in his return. The 28-year-old is back on the diamond in the big leagues after missing almost a month with a strained left groin. Now that Donovan is back, he should start regularly for the Red Birds after hitting .279/.348/.402 with a .750 OPS, nine home runs, 45 RBI, 57 runs, and three steals in 110 games. Donovan is more useful in real life than in fantasy because of his lack of both power and speed as a utility man in St. Louis. With Donovan back in the fold down the stretch, young infielder Thomas Saggese will return to more of a bench role.

St. Louis Cardinals infielder/outfielder Brendan Donovan (groin) was able to go through a full workout on Monday. Donovan was able to do running, hitting, and fielding without any issues. The plan is for Donovan to do another workout ahead of Tuesday's game. If that goes well, Donovan will likely be sent out on a rehab assignment. Donovan has been sidelined since the middle of August due to groin soreness. Barring any setbacks, Donovan should be back in the mix within the next week or so.

St. Louis Cardinals second baseman/outfielder Brendan Donovan (foot/groin pain) has not been able to advance past work in the batting cage since he is still dealing with significant soreness, according to manager Oli Marmol on Wednesday. He tried to play through his multiple issues early in August, but was placed on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to August 15. Before the injury, Donovan was having a strong season for the Cardinals, hitting .279 with nine homers and a .328 wOBA, while doing good work out of the leadoff spot. Since his progress seems to be stalled for now, Thomas Saggese will continue to get extended playing time at second base. Donovan is eligible to return, but it doesn't sound like he's especially close, based on these comments from Marmol.

St. Louis Cardinals second baseman/outfielder Brendan Donovan (groin) has been hitting off a tee but has no timetable for his return from the injured list, per the Athletic's Katie Woo. Donovan was placed on the 10-day IL retroactive to August 15 with a left groin strain. Donovan's injury came as a blow to the Cardinals, as he was slashing .279/.348/.402 with nine home runs, 45 RBI, and three stolen bases in 476 plate appearances. Fantasy managers will have to wait for future updates on a potential return date.

St. Louis Cardinals infielder/outfielder Brendan Donovan (groin) was placed on the 10-day injured list ahead of Monday's game against the Miami Marlins. Finally, Donovan is placed on the IL after missing seven of the last nine games due to a lingering groin issue. It's a shame considering how well he has been playing, but Donovan needs some extra time to rest and recover. This was retroactive to August 15, so Donovan is eligible to return on August 25. The expectation is that Thomas Saggese will see a majority of the playing time at second base. Also, infielder Jose Fermin was recalled to take the spot on the active roster. He figures to be in the mix at second base as well.

St. Louis Cardinals second baseman/outfielder Brendan Donovan (foot/groin) will sit out Monday's series opener against the Miami Marlins, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. Donovan hasn't played since last Wednesday as he continues to deal with pain in his left foot that has caused soreness in his groin. The Cardinals do not intend to place Donovan on the 10-day injured list, though, and are holding out hope that he'll return to the lineup on Tuesday. In nine games this month, Donovan has gone just 7-for-34 with one extra-base hit (a double), three RBI, five strikeouts, and a walk. The first-time All-Star has taken 476 trips to the plate this season and slashed an above-average .279/.348/.402 with nine homers, 45 RBI, and 57 runs scored.

St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Brendan Donovan (foot/groin) remains out of the lineup on Saturday against the New York Yankees. It's the second straight off night for Donovan, who is dealing with lingering pain in his left foot that has led to groin soreness. However, manager Oli Marmol has expressed confidence that Donovan will not require a trip to the 10-day injured list. With Donovan on the bench Saturday, shortstop Masyn Winn will take his place in the leadoff spot, and Thomas Saggese will play second base and hit seventh against southpaw Max Fried.

St. Louis Cardinals infielder Brendan Donovan (foot) has been scratched from the starting lineup for Friday's series opener against the visiting New York Yankees at Busch Stadium because of lingering foot pain, according to MLB.com's John Denton. Denton writes that it's an injury that caused Donovan's recent groin soreness. Manager Oliver Marmol thinks it could be a multi-day injury for Donovan but doesn't think it will require him to go on the injured list. Although the 28-year-old is day-to-day for now, this seems like something that could eventually require an IL stint if he can't play by the end of the weekend. The German native was an All-Star for the first time this year, but he's struggled in August, going 7-for-34 (.206) with a double, three RBI and five strikeouts in nine games. Since the All-Star break, he's hit .203 (16-for-79).

St. Louis Cardinals infielder/outfielder Brendan Donovan (groin) is back in the starting lineup ahead of Tuesday's game against the Colorado Rockies. Donovan is back in the mix after being held out of the starting lineup during the last three games due to a lingering groin issue. He was able to pinch-hit on Monday and hit a go-ahead two-run double in the bottom of the eighth inning. He'll cover second base and bat leadoff versus left-hander Kyle Freeland on Tuesday. Fantasy managers should make sure to get Donovan back in there.

St. Louis Cardinals infielder/outfielder Brendan Donovan (groin) remains sidelined for Monday's series opener against the visiting Colorado Rockies at Busch Stadium. Thomas Saggese will make another start at second base and will hit seventh against Rockies rookie right-hander Chase Dollander. Left-groin tightness will keep Donovan out of a third straight game, and he could be headed for the injured list if he's unable to return in the next couple of days. Saggese profiles as a low-upside DFS sleeper, even against a rookie pitcher that has struggled so far in his time in the big leagues. Saggese has hit .241 (28-for-116) with only one home run, 10 RBI and nine runs scored in 40 games played this year after making his MLB debut in 2024. The 23-year-old has gone 8-for-30 (.267) with three doubles and three runs in 12 games since the All-Star break.

St. Louis Cardinals second baseman/outfielder Brendan Donovan (groin) is out of the lineup for the second straight game Sunday against the Chicago Cubs. Shortstop Masyn Winn will lead off versus left-hander Shota Imanaga, while Thomas Saggese will fill in at second base and bat seventh. Donovan missed Saturday's game because of tightness in his left groin, and the team is considering him day-to-day for now. Fantasy managers should check back Monday to see if he's in the lineup to start a series against the Colorado Rockies.

St. Louis Cardinals second baseman/outfielder Brendan Donovan (groin) was out of the lineup against the Chicago Cubs on Saturday with tightness in his left groin, Jeff Jones of the BND reports. It's unknown if Donovan will also need off on Sunday, so fantasy managers should check back for more information. Thomas Saggese filled in at second base for him Saturday, while outfielder Lars Nootbaar took over the leadoff spot in the Cardinals' lineup. Donovan made his first All-Star team this year and has hit .278/.349/.402 with nine homers, 43 RBI, 57 runs scored, and three stolen bases in 466 plate appearances. He's off to a slow start in August, though, having gone 4-for-24 with no home runs and one RBI in six games.

St. Louis Cardinals infielder/outfielder Brendan Donovan (undisclosed) has been scratched from the starting lineup ahead of Saturday's game against the Chicago Cubs. There is no word on why Donovan was scratched yet. He was set to leadoff and play second base, but will now hit the bench. Lars Nootbaar will take over in the leadoff spot while Thomas Saggese covers second base versus right-hander Colin Rea on Saturday. Fantasy managers should adjust their lineups ahead of first pitch.

St. Louis Cardinals infielder/outfielder Brendan Donovan (personal) is back in the starting lineup ahead of Monday's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Donovan was scratched from the lineup on Sunday due to a personal matter. However, he has rejoined the team and is ready to play a day later. Donovan will cover second base and lead off against right-hander Tyler Glasnow on Monday. Fantasy managers should adjust their lineups accordingly ahead of first pitch.

The St. Louis Cardinals have made second baseman/outfielder Brendan Donovan (personal) a late scratch for their game against the San Diego Padres on Sunday. Donovan is away dealing with a family emergency, which will leave second base to Thomas Saggese and third to Nolan Gorman. Shortstop Masyn Winn will lead off in Donovan's place. The team had originally planned to give Gorman the day off, but he'll instead bat fifth in a meeting with starter Dylan Cease. Gorman has gone 1-for-3 with two strikeouts against the right-hander.

The Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees are "known to have interest" in St. Louis Cardinals second baseman/outfielder Brendan Donovan, according to Katie Woo of The Athletic. Woo writes that Donovan is "not considered untouchable," but the "asking price is sky-high." The 28-year-old is under team control through 2027 and offers multi-positional versatility. In 423 plate appearances this season, Donovan has a slash line of .293/.360/.428 with nine home runs, 42 RBI, 54 runs scored, and three stolen bases. He could be the replacement for the struggling Michael Conforto in left field for the Dodgers while also splitting time with Hyeseong Kim at second base. Donovan's fit with the Yankees is less obvious, as New York acquired Ryan McMahon from the Colorado Rockies on Friday to fill their hole at third base. If St. Louis does trade Donovan at the deadline, it would likely open up a path to increased playing time for Nolan Gorman (back) once he returns from the injured list.

St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Brendan Donovan won't be in Thursday's lineup for the first game of the team's doubleheader with the hosting Chicago White Sox. Teammate Nolan Gorman is manning the keystone and batting fifth in his absence. The Cardinals are likely just managing his workload as Donovan returned from a sprained big toe on Sunday and went 6-for-9 over the ensuing two contests. He's been exceptional in 2025, slashing a strong .323/.388/.451 with four home runs, 21 doubles, 27 RBI, and 38 runs scored. The South Alabama alum has been stellar against right-handed pitching thus far, sporting a .361 average and .911 OPS against them.

St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Brendan Donovan (toe) is back at the keystone and is batting leadoff for Sunday's series finale in Milwaukee against the division-rival Brewers and right-hander Quinn Priester. It will be Donovan's first game action since Tuesday after he was diagnosed with a sprained left big toe. The 28-year-old utility man will wear a carbon-fiber orthotic in his shoe going forward, but it remains to be seen if it will negatively impact his production at the plate. Despite having one of the slowest bats in baseball, Donovan has hit .310 (77-for-248) on the year and has an expected batting average of .304 thanks to the consistent contact he makes. There's little fantasy upside otherwise, though, as the German infielder doesn't really provide power or speed. He has one hit and an RBI in three career at-bats versus Priester.

St. Louis Cardinals second baseman/outfielder Brendan Donovan (toe) was not in the lineup for the team's game against the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday. However, Donovan will return Sunday if he's able to get through batting practice Saturday, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports. Donovan has missed four games in a row with a sprained big toe on his left foot, but the Cardinals have been reluctant to place him on the 10-day injured list. The versatile 28-year-old has been one of the Cardinals' best players this season. He's slashing .310/.379/.440 with four home runs, 26 RBI, and 35 runs scored over 278 plate appearances.

St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Brendan Donovan (toe) remains out of the starting lineup as the series against the division-rival Milwaukee Brewers continues on Friday. Nolan Gorman will receive another start at the keystone and will bat seventh against Brewers right-hander Freddy Peralta. Donovan is dealing with a sprained left big toe and will miss his third straight game. The 28-year-old utility man doesn't think he'll land on the injured list and was able to get in a light workout before Thursday's series opener in Milwaukee. He's hoping to return to the lineup this weekend, and the Cardinals are going to give him until Tuesday before considering putting him on the IL. Gorman has struggled all year and will not be a popular DFS sleeper against Peralta, who he has hit .333 against with one RBI in nine career at-bats.