St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Brendan Donovan (elbow) is starting in left field and batting leadoff on Saturday against left-hander Trevor Rogers and the Miami Marlins for the second game of the series. With Donovan back in the leadoff spot, rookie outfielder Victor Scott II will drop down to the nine-hole. Donovan was hit by two pitches in Wednesday's loss to the San Diego Padres and was subsequently held out of the lineup for the home opener against the Fish on Thursday. But the 27-year-old is back in there on Saturday and is looking to keep up his hot-hitting ways to begin the 2024 season. So far through seven games, he's gone 8-for-26 (.308) with a homer, two doubles, six RBI and six runs scored. Donovan has never faced Rogers in his career, though.

St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Brendan Donovan (elbow) said after Thursday's victory over the Miami Marlins that he'll be good to go for Saturday's game. Donovan was hit on the bicep in Los Angeles and just above his right elbow in Wednesday's loss to the San Diego Padres, but the training staff was able to do enough work to get him loosened up and on a good path moving forward. The 27-year-old has been beat up by hit by pitches in the last week, but he's not dealing with any structural damage and should return to the lineup on Saturday after an off day on Friday. Donovan is off to an 8-for-26 start (.308) with a homer, six RBI and six runs scored and should be in the lineup every day with Tommy Edman (wrist), Lars Nootbaar (ribs) and Dylan Carlson (shoulder) all on the injured list to begin the 2024 season.

St. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said that outfielder Brendan Donovan (elbow) has been ruled out of Thursday's home opener against the visiting Miami Marlins after being hit twice with pitches in Wednesday's loss to the San Diego Padres. Donovan's right elbow is the issue after being removed late in the series finale in San Diego. For now, fantasy managers should consider the 27-year-old to be day-to-day. The Cardinals can ill-afford another injury to one of their outfielders, as they already have Tommy Edman (wrist), Lars Nootbaar (ribs) and Dylan Carlson (shoulder) on the injured list. With Donovan out on Thursday, rookie Michael Siani is drawing the start in left field and batting ninth against Marlins left-hander Ryan Weathers. Siani makes for a poor DFS play in the nine-hole in the Cards' home opener.

St. Louis Cardinals infielder/outfielder Brendan Donovan (elbow) left Wednesday's 3-2 loss to the San Diego Padres after being hit by a pitch on his elbow in the top of the eighth inning. Rookie Michael Siani replaced Donovan in left field for the Cardinals. Donovan was hit by two pitches on Wednesday, with the second one knocking him out of the contest in the series finale. The 27-year-old should be considered day-to-day until we have more information on the severity of his elbow injury. It remains to be seen if he'll be available to play in the team's home opener on Thursday versus the visiting Miami Marlins. Before leaving late in the game, Donovan went 1-for-2 to raise his early season average to .308. If Donovan doesn't play on Thursday, either Alec Burleson or Siani will likely get a start in the outfield for St. Louis next to Victor Scott II and Jordan Walker.

St. Louis Cardinals infielder Brendan Donovan (elbow) will have his throwing monitored at camp and is likely to stick at second base for now. It makes sense considering Donovan had surgery to fix his right flexor tendon last August. The Cardinals appear to be easing the 27-year-old back into action at spring training, but the expectation is that he'll be ready to go for Opening Day. The left-handed-hitting utility man from Germany hit more balls in the air to his pull side in his second big-league season in 2023 and finished with a .284 average (93-for-327) with a career-high 11 home runs, 34 RBI, five stolen bases and 48 runs cored in 95 games played. He's a sneaky middle-infield option for fantasy managers in 2024 with great contact skills and positional versatility.

St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Brendan Donovan (elbow) has two weeks left in his throwing program and is expected to have no limitations for the start of spring training. Donovan has been rehabbing his right elbow after having surgery in August to fix a flexor tendon in his elbow. Before the 26-year-old's season ended early, he was on the few bright spots for the disappointing Cardinals with a .284/.365/.422 slash line with 11 home runs in 95 games played in just his second year in the big leagues. Donovan also had 34 RBI, five stolen bases and 48 runs scored in 371 plate appearances. He's a super-utility player for St. Louis who should play pretty regularly again in 2024, and if he can keep his power gains from a year ago, he's not a bad middle-infield target in deep mixed fantasy leagues.

St. Louis Cardinals infielder/outfielder Brendan Donovan (arm) will have season-ending surgery on Wednesday to fix a flexor strain in his right arm. The injury has been the reason why Donovan hasn't been able to play defense for the Cardinals since late June. As long as Donovan doesn't have any setbacks, he should be good to go for spring training in 2024. The 26-year-old will finish his 2023 campaign with a .281/.362/.419 slash line, 11 home runs, 10 doubles, a triple, 34 RBI, five stolen bases and 48 runs scored in 371 plate appearances over 95 games. Donovan can do a little bit of everything, and his greatest asset to fantasy managers is his eligibility at a handful of positions all over the field.

St. Louis Cardinals infielder/outfielder Brendan Donovan (arm) is not in the team's starting lineup on Friday against the division-rival Chicago Cubs and left-hander Justin Steele. The left-handed-hitting Donovan is once again on a no-throw program for several weeks due to an arm injury, but it won't keep him from hitting in a designated-hitter role. Jose Fermin is at the keystone and is hitting ninth, while catcher Willson Contreras will start at DH and bat cleanup for the Cardinals. The 26-year-old Donovan has the ability to play infield and outfield, giving the Cardinals plenty of flexibility. He's hitting .284/.370/.432 on the year with an .802 OPS, 11 home runs, nine doubles, a triple, 34 RBI, four stolen bases and 42 runs scored in 86 games in his second major-league season.

St. Louis Cardinals utility man Brendan Donovan (arm) is catching a breather from Thursday's lineup against the Chicago Cubs. Paul Goldschmidt will DH and hit second for this one while Alec Burleson watches first base and bats sixth. Donovan is currently nursing a flexor strain in his right arm and has received a second opinion on the injury. The 26-year-old is being shut down from throwing for a couple of weeks as he recovers, having not participated defensively since June 29 with the limitation. St. Louis likely misses Donovan's positional versatility, but it looks like fantasy managers should still have the contact hitter's services without a trip to the injured list. It's a situation certainly worth monitoring, though. Donovan is slashing a solid .284/.370/.432 with 11 home runs, 34 RBI, and four stolen bases in 339 trips to the dish in 2023.

St. Louis Cardinals infielder Brendan Donovan (arm) played catch with a trainer on Saturday to test his bum throwing arm. Donovan has had trouble throwing the ball for weeks and how he feels after Saturday's session will determine the next steps in his recovery. He has been able to serve as the team's designated hitter but that has limited the Cardinals' lineup options. The team should provide another update on Donovan's status either later Saturday or prior to Sunday's contest against the Washington Nationals.

St. Louis Cardinals infielder Brendan Donovan (arm) is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Chicago White Sox. Donovan has been dealing with a sore arm for the last few weeks, forcing him to be in and out of the lineup. He's had trouble throwing the ball so he's just been at DH whenever he has been in the lineup. The Cardinals want to give him Sunday off so he has an extra day of rest during the All-Star break. Nolan Arenado is serving as the Cards' DH while Nolan Gorman moves to the hot corner and Jose Fermin covers second base.

St. Louis Cardinals infielder/outfielder Brendan Donovan (arm) is serving as the team's designated hitter and is batting leadoff on Wednesday against right-hander Bryan Hoeing and the Miami Marlins. Donovan isn't going to play the field until after the All-Star break due to a sore right arm that he's been dealing with for a little bit, but he can still serve as the DH until then. The 26-year-old will look to extend his current hitting streak to five games on Wednesday after going 7-for-13 with two home runs, three RBI and three runs scored in his last four games. The counting stats have left something to be desired -- nine homers, 26 RBI, four stolen bases -- but Donovan is hitting a solid .282 (72-for-255) with an impressive .374 on-base percentage in 76 games.

St. Louis Cardinals infielder Brendan Donovan (arm) is back in the lineup for Sunday's series finale against the New York Yankees. The 26-year-old missed Saturday's doubleheader while dealing with right arm soreness. He's had trouble throwing the ball so he's slotted in as the DH and leading off on Sunday against Yankees ace Gerrit Cole. The Cardinals will likely keep Donovan in the DH slot until the All-Star break to give him some extra time to recover.

St. Louis Cardinals infielder Brendan Donovan (arm) is sitting out for Game 1 of Saturday's doubleheader against the New York Yankees. Donovan is dealing with an arm issue and was scratched from Friday's game before it was ultimately rained out. The 26-year-old has been dealing with soreness in his right arm so it's unclear if he'll be available for the second billing on Saturday as well. The team should provide an update on him at some point this weekend.

St. Louis Cardinals infielder/outfielder Brendan Donovan (arm) is dealing with right-arm discomfort and won't throw for a few days, but he'll be available to hit and serve as the designated hitter. It means that Donovan could be back in the lineup for one of the two games of a doubleheader against the New York Yankees on Saturday. The Cardinals scratched Donovan from Friday's lineup before the game was postponed by inclement weather. Fantasy managers will need to check back Saturday morning to see if the 26-year-old is in the lineup for Game 1. He's been a bright spot for the Red Birds in a disappointing season for the team so far, as he's hitting .272/.365/.396 in his second MLB season with eight homers, 24 RBI and four steals in 74 games.

Updating a previous report, St. Louis Cardinals infielder/outfielder Brendan Donovan (arm) is out of Friday's lineup against the New York Yankees due to right-arm soreness that has been building up for a bit. He will head for an exam and imaging, so check back for further details. This sounds like a day-to-day issue, so fantasy managers should treat it as that until further notice. The 26-year-old has been playing second base and left field recently. Jordan Walker is starting in left field and batting sixth, while Tommy Edman is at the keystone and hitting ninth on Friday against Yankees right-hander Luis Severino. Donovan will finish June with a nice .307 average (27-for-88) with three homers and 11 RBI in 23 games. He's been a regular contributor for the disappointing Cardinals all year so far, slashing .272/.365/.396 with eight homers, 24 RBI, 36 runs and four steals in 250 at-bats.

St. Louis Cardinals infielder/outfielder Brendan Donovan has been scratched from the starting lineup ahead of Friday's game against the New York Yankees. The organization didn't give a reason as to why Donovan is being pulled out from the lineup. Hopefully, it's nothing serious and he'll return next game. In the meantime, Dylan Carlson will cover right field and bat eighth versus right-hander Luis Severino. Fantasy managers should adjust their lineups accordingly.

St. Louis Cardinals super-utility player Brendan Donovan went for 1-for-2 with his fifth home run of the season in a 2-1 extra-inning win over the Cleveland Guardians on Saturday. He added an additional run scored, a stolen base, and two walks. In a game where no other Cardinals crossed the plate, the 26-year-old supplied all of the scoring. Donovan, who regularly hit first versus righties for several weeks to commence the year, is starting to make a bid towards reclaiming some more leadoff at-bats. The plate-protector is slashing a robust .368/.538/.737 with two round-trippers and two swipes over his last seven games. Keep on an eye on the multi-positional Donovan in fantasy to see if his hot streak translates to a more favorable spot in the St. Louis lineup.

St. Louis Cardinals infielder Brendan Donovan (shin) is back in the starting lineup for Friday's game against the Seattle Mariners. He hasn't started in a game since suffering an infected shin from a slide during Monday's game. It appears Donovan is fine now and this injury shouldn't impact his performance. He'll serve as the leadoff hitter and cover second base against righty George Kirby on Friday. Fantasy managers can feel comfortable getting Donovan back in their lineups.

St. Louis Cardinals infielder Brendan Donovan (rest) is out of the starting lineup for Tuesday's game against the Atlanta Braves. Donovan will receive a well deserved day off after playing in the first four games of the season. He has been serving as their leadoff man, but Tommy Edman will slide up to the top of the batting order on Tuesday. Taylor Motter will cover second base and bat ninth versus lefty Dylan Dodd on Tuesday.