Jul 29, 2016; Miami, FL, USA; A detailed view of a hat and glove in the dugout of the St. Louis Cardinals in the game against the Miami Marlins at Marlins Park. The Cardinals defeated the Marlins 11-6. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

Cardinals Updates On Injury Recovery Is Much-Needed Good News

Originally posted on St. Louis Cardinals on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Sep 7, 2025 7:01 PM ET

The St. Louis Cardinals had a great day on Sunday.

St. Louis took down the San Francisco Giants on Sunday, 4-3, to move back to .500. The Cardinals now have a 72-72 record on the season with 18 games left in the regular season. On top of this, the Cardinals also got some significant injury updates before the game. The Athletic's Katie Woo was one of the team reporters who shared on Sunday that the current expectation is that Alec Burleson will be activated on Monday, Brendan Donovan is expected to begin a rehab assignment on Tuesday, and Nolan Arenado is likely to begin a rehab stint on Wednesday.

The St. Louis Cardinals are trending in the right direction injury-wise

Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

"Alec Burleson should be activated Monday from his IL stint, no rehab required," Woo said. "Brendan Donovan likely to start a rehab assignment on Tuesday. Nolan Arenado likely to start a rehab assignment on Wednesday. Cardinals are targeting an Arenado activation at the next homestand."

MLB.com's John Denton noted that Arenado and Donovan will stick around in St. Louis to take batting practice off of John King and High-A Peoria pitchers before beginning their rehab assignment.

"Cardinals 3B Nolan Arenado (Monday and Tuesday) and 2B Brendan Donovan (Monday) will stay in St. Louis to take live BP vs. LHP John King and High-A Peoria pitchers, manager Oli Marmol said. Then, both will head out to rehab assignments," Denton said. "Alec Burleson could be activated Monday."

Burleson hasn't played in a game for the Cardinals since August 28th. Donovan hasn't played in a game for the Cardinals since August 13th. Arenado hasn't played in a game since July 30th. There are just a few weeks to go in the regular season at this point. The playoffs don't seem likely, but the Cardinals are back at .500 now and this team is worth watching. Throughout all of the drama and negative chatter of the season, the Cardinals have given fans something to watch and follow all year. Through it all, the Cardinals continue to show grit and that was shown again on Sunday.

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

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