Brendan Donovan Fantasy Stats

The St. Louis Cardinals are not necessarily looking to trade infielder Brendan Donovan, but ESPN's Jeff Passan reports that the "market for him is percolating." Several teams see Donovan as an option at second base, third base, or left field. The 28-year-old left-handed hitter gives teams options, as he can hit leadoff or bat in the middle of the order because of his elite bat-to-ball skills and gap power. He has two years of club control left and is very affordable in arbitration before he reaches free agency. The Cardinals are retooling under new president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom, and almost nobody on the roster is off limits. For fantasy purposes, outside of Donovan's excellent contact and on-base skills and positional versatility, he doesn't bring much intrigue. The Dodgers, Mariners, Yankees, Red Sox, Pirates, Giants, Royals, and Guardians are teams that could come calling for Donovan.

The St. Louis Cardinals announced on Friday that second baseman Brendan Donovan (hernia) underwent sports hernia surgery on Oct. 7, according to John Denton of MLB.com. Donovan was shut down towards the tail end of the regular season in September due to a hernia that he dealt with during the second half. The 28-year-old should be recovered well in time to be ready for the start of spring training in February, though. While Donovan is a much better real-life asset than a fantasy one because of his limited power and speed, it doesn't take away from the fact that he was one of the team's most consistent contributors in 2025 while playing multiple positions on the diamond. Donovan, a former seventh-rounder in 2018 out of South Alabama, was a first-time All-Star in his fourth MLB season and slashed a healthy .287/.353/.422 with 10 home runs, 50 RBI, 64 runs scored, and three steals in 118 games played.

St. Louis Cardinals infielder Brendan Donovan (groin) is likely to appear only in an emergency in the final series of the season this weekend at Wrigley Field against the division-rival Chicago Cubs, according to Jeff Jones of the Belleville News. The Cardinals asked Donovan to push hard through a groin injury and general body soreness until they were eliminated from playoff contention, and he did. The Cardinals have been officially limited from the postseason, so they are shutting the 28-year-old down. Donovan was a first-time All-Star in 2025 for the Red Birds, hitting a strong .287 (132-for-460) in 118 games. Although he makes a lot of contact and has hit for a career .282 average in four MLB seasons, the lack of counting stats doesn't make him very attractive to fantasy managers. Donovan contributed only 10 home runs, 50 RBI, three steals, and 64 runs on the season. Nolan Gorman and Jose Fermin can fill in at second for Donovan to close out the final series.

St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Brendan Donovan (groin) is out of the lineup against the Chicago Cubs on Friday. Nolan Gorman will take over at second and hit fifth. This is the third game off since last Sunday for Donovan, who has been battling groin soreness. After missing just under a month with a strained left groin, Donovan returned Sept. 12 and has gone a sizzling 14-for-37 (.378) with a homer, seven doubles, five RBI, and seven runs scored in eight games. That hot streak has raised the 28-year-old's line to .287/.353/.422 with 10 HRs, 50 RBI, 64 runs, and three steals over 515 plate appearances this season.

St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Brendan Donovan (groin) is expected to return to the lineup on Tuesday against San Francisco Giants right-hander Logan Webb. Donovan has missed back-to-back games while dealing with soreness in his left groin. The 28-year-old landed on the 10-day injured list with a groin strain on Aug. 15 and was out of action for nearly a month before returning Sept. 12. After posting a .797 OPS in the first few months of the season and earning an All-Star nod, Donovan has stumbled to a .627 mark in the second half. Overall, though, he has hit a solid .282/.349/.408 with 10 homers, 48 RBI, 62 runs, and three steals across 116 games and 506 trips to the plate. In eight plate appearances against Webb, the lefty-swinging Donovan has gone 3-for-7 with a double, an RBI, three strikeouts, and a walk.

St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Brendan Donovan (groin) has been scratched from the lineup on Monday against the San Francisco Giants. Donovan was originally penciled in to play second and lead off, but he'll instead sit out with stiffness and soreness stemming from a groin injury, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. The 28-year-old went on the 10-day IL with a strained left groin on Aug. 15 and didn't return until Sept. 12. Donovan has gone a productive 9-for-28 with a homer, three RBI, and five runs scored in six contests since he came back, though he has now been out of the lineup in back-to-back games. The Cardinals are hopeful that Donovan will return on Tuesday. In the meantime, Jose Fermin will fill in at second on Monday and hit eighth against right-hander Justin Verlander.

The St. Louis Cardinals activated infielder Brendan Donovan (groin) from the 10-day injured list on Friday, and he's in the starting lineup for the series opener against the division-rival Milwaukee Brewers and right-hander Quinn Priester. Donovan is manning second base and will hit leadoff in his return. The 28-year-old is back on the diamond in the big leagues after missing almost a month with a strained left groin. Now that Donovan is back, he should start regularly for the Red Birds after hitting .279/.348/.402 with a .750 OPS, nine home runs, 45 RBI, 57 runs, and three steals in 110 games. Donovan is more useful in real life than in fantasy because of his lack of both power and speed as a utility man in St. Louis. With Donovan back in the fold down the stretch, young infielder Thomas Saggese will return to more of a bench role.

St. Louis Cardinals infielder/outfielder Brendan Donovan (groin) was able to go through a full workout on Monday. Donovan was able to do running, hitting, and fielding without any issues. The plan is for Donovan to do another workout ahead of Tuesday's game. If that goes well, Donovan will likely be sent out on a rehab assignment. Donovan has been sidelined since the middle of August due to groin soreness. Barring any setbacks, Donovan should be back in the mix within the next week or so.

St. Louis Cardinals second baseman/outfielder Brendan Donovan (foot/groin pain) has not been able to advance past work in the batting cage since he is still dealing with significant soreness, according to manager Oli Marmol on Wednesday. He tried to play through his multiple issues early in August, but was placed on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to August 15. Before the injury, Donovan was having a strong season for the Cardinals, hitting .279 with nine homers and a .328 wOBA, while doing good work out of the leadoff spot. Since his progress seems to be stalled for now, Thomas Saggese will continue to get extended playing time at second base. Donovan is eligible to return, but it doesn't sound like he's especially close, based on these comments from Marmol.

St. Louis Cardinals second baseman/outfielder Brendan Donovan (groin) has been hitting off a tee but has no timetable for his return from the injured list, per the Athletic's Katie Woo. Donovan was placed on the 10-day IL retroactive to August 15 with a left groin strain. Donovan's injury came as a blow to the Cardinals, as he was slashing .279/.348/.402 with nine home runs, 45 RBI, and three stolen bases in 476 plate appearances. Fantasy managers will have to wait for future updates on a potential return date.