Cardinals Gold Glover MIA From Lineup With Ambiguous Injury; Return Timetable Unknown

St. Louis is without one of its core players again

Apr 2, 2024; San Diego, California, USA; St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Paul Goldschmidt (left) and left field Brendan Donovan (33) celebrate after defeating the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Ray Acevedo-Imagn Images / Ray Acevedo-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals are barely holding onto their playoff hopes as they sit six games behind a National League Wild Card spot and have little gas left in the tank.

The regressing rotation has exhausted the bullpen and the lineup can't seem to stay consistent and healthy. For instance, losing Wilson Contreras for a second time this season was a massive blow that devastated the Cardinals' offense.

Sometimes, when it rains, it pours, and that could be what's happening to the Cardinals. Another key piece of the lineup has been benched for a second straight game due to an unusual injury.

"(Brendan) Donovan, one of the Cardinals’ most consistent hitters and one of their most valuable fielders because of his versatility, was out of the starting lineup on Saturday night because of a foot infection that made it difficult for him to apply pressure, manager Oliver Marmol said," according to MLB.com's most recent injury report on St. Louis. "The Cardinals’ skipper didn’t know which of Donovan’s feet are infected, but the Cardinals don’t think the ailment will keep Donovan out of action for an extended period of time."

The Gold Glove utility man missed Saturday's 2-0 victory over the Seattle Mariners and will be absent from Sunday's series finale. Donovan's return timetable still hasn't been announced.

"'He has an infection in his foot that kind of blew up overnight and it’s hard for him to put any pressure on it right now,” Marmol said," as transcribed by MLB.com. “'So, he’s going to have today off and we’ll see how he bounces back from it,'"

Donovan has batted .266 with 43 extra-base hits including 11 home runs, 61 RBIs and a .727 OPS in 134 games played for the Cardinals this year.

Without Donovan in the lineup, Nolan Arenado, Masyn Winn and José Fermín are left without a backup. If one of them were to go down with an injury while Donovan's out, it's tough to tell who St. Louis would turn to for a replacement -- perhaps a deserving young slugger should finally be promoted.

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