Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

Cardinals' Brendan Donovan IL Decision Delayed Amid Crucial Weekend Series

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jayden Pettus | Last updated Jun 13, 2025 7:12 PM ET

Amid concerns for St. Louis Cardinals' second baseman Brendan Donovan would be placed on the Injured List, Derek Goold of the St. Louis Post Dispatch reports that Donovan is going to "push it hard" on Friday to see if he can return by this weekend.

The team announced on Thursday that the decision would be made following Donovan's batting practice session prior to Friday's 7:10 p.m. matchup against the Milwaukee Brewers but have decided to give him until Tuesday to make a decision.

After the Cardinals' lineup was announced Friday afternoon, it became apparent that second baseman would be hitting the IL after Nolan Gorman was penciled in at second. MLB.com's John Denton reports, though, that after taking grounders and BP with a carbon fiber orthotic insert on Friday, Donovan was feeling better and will repeat the same process on Saturday, leading the team to put the IL decision on hold.

Donovan's absence will certainly be felt as St. Louis navigates through a stretch of 30 games in 31 days - the team's most active stretch of the season - especially due to the fact that the delayed decision leaves the team shorthanded for potentially the rest of the series against the Brewers.

The 28-year-old has been on fire at the plate for the team this year, carrying a .310 batting average (4th in NL) through 64 games. He currently leads the team with 77 hits (T-4th in NL), 20 doubles (3rd in NL), a .379 on base percentage (10th in NL), .440 slugging percentage (10th in NL) and .819 OPS.

The Cardinals have a plethora of options up the middle to replace Donovan in his absence - though maybe not someone who can replace his offensive production.

Gorman, along with utility man Jose Barrero have experience at second base on the big league roster. If Donovan fails to return on Tuesday, the team could also look to minor league talent such as Thomas Saggese or Jose Fermin to fill the gap left from Donovan.

If the team were to move a middle infielder up from Memphis, it's likely that No. 1 prospect JJ Wetherholt could see a promotion to Triple-A, given his recent success for Double-A Springfield.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: