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Cardinals Reveal Concerning Brendan Donovan News

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Connor Greene | Last updated Jun 11, 2025 2:19 AM ET

St. Louis Cardinals utility man Brendan Donovan left Tuesday night’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays due to discomfort in his left toe, the club announced.

Manager Oli Marmol later clarified that Donovan has been dealing with irritation in the joint of his left big toe for some time, and the pain finally forced him out of the game.

“He couldn’t even get off his backside during that last at-bat,” Marmol said. “It was hurting him pretty bad, so we took him out.”

Donovan, who has easily been the Cardinals’ most consistent hitter this season, went 0-for-3 before exiting the game. He was also struck by a pitch in the fourth inning, however it doesn't seem to be related to the injury.

According to MLB.com Cardinals beat writer John Denton, Donovan said the pain flared up suddenly Tuesday night.

#STLCards LF/2B Brendan Donovan said his painful left big toe just started hurting him tonight. X-rays on the toe were negative, he said.

Donovan said he could hardly push off his back foot during his final AB before leaving the game.
— John Denton (@JohnDenton555) June 11, 2025

“I was running around in the outfield, and it just started bugging me,” Donovan explained. “Then it kind of just got progressively worse, and then it got real grumpy at me.”

X-rays came back negative, but Donovan noted he could hardly push off his back foot during his final at bat.

“It’s on my left foot, so that’s the foot I rotate off of,” he said. “That’s kind of what led to me coming out. I’ll sleep on it, reevaluate tomorrow, and go from there.”

The 28-year-old is in the midst of a career season, hitting .310 with four home runs and 26 RBIs. He ranks tied for third in the National League in hits, second in doubles, and fourth in batting average.

The club hopes to learn more about the severity of the injury by Wednesday, but if Donovan is sidelined for an extended period, it would be a significant blow to a Cardinals team that has exceeded expectations in large part thanks to his performance.

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

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