Aug 11, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Brendan Donovan (33) flips the ball to first base during the ninth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

Cardinals' Brendan Donovan Gives Statement About Injury Concern

Originally posted on St. Louis Cardinals on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Aug 17, 2025 6:00 PM ET

The St. Louis Cardinals are missing one of their most important pieces right now.

Brendan Donovan earned an All-Star nod and has impacted the game on both sides of the ball. Offensively, he's been great. Donovan is slashing .279/.348/.402 with nine homers, 45 RBIs, 25 doubles, and 57 runs scored in 110 games played. On top of this, he's been his typical stellar self defensively.

Donovan has stepped up as a leader in 2025 too with Paul Goldschmidt gone but, he's out right now with toe and leg pain.

It's uncertain when he will return to the field, but he made it clear that he's open to avoid an Injured List stint, as shared by Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

"Less certain is when the Cardinals can expect Donovan’s return, and if the pain lingers or they need a move to create time for Scott to recover an IL stint helps reinforce the bench," Goold shared. "Late Saturday night in the Cardinals’ clubhouse, Donovan told the Post-Dispatch he’s felt better with three consecutive days of rest, and he would like to avoid the IL.

Cardinals star Brendan Donovan makes his feelings clear amid injury concern

Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

"I’d love to play in a couple of days,” Donovan said to Goold. “Obviously, it’s based off of what the team needs. I want to play. I don’t want to miss time. Unfortunately, this has been bugging me for a large portion of the season.”

Although the Cardinals may not have much of chance to make the playoffs this season, it's important to maintain consistency. The Cardinals are trying to win as many games as possible and having Donovan in the lineup certainly is better than not having him.

Hopefully, he's able to get back into the lineup as fast as possible, but also it's important to not rush him back and risk long-term injury. We'll see what happens, but this is going to be something to continue to follow in the near future. The injury has been lingering and likely is a big reason why his offensive production has slowed down in the second half of the season to this point. The Cardinals' lineup needs Donovan to thrive.

This article first appeared on St. Louis Cardinals on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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