Brendan

Donovan

Donovan remains out after being scratched from Friday’s lineup due to neck stiffness. It’ll be rookie Masyn Winn, who has recorded at least one hit in 18 straight games that he’s started since May 6, taking over atop St. Louis’ lineup in his absence.

The 27-year-old infielder is considered day-to-day for the time being. Dylan Carlson will take his place in the Cardinals’ lineup and will bat eighth against Aaron Nola and the Phillies while Matt Carpenter slides up to the leadoff spot in the team’s batting order.

The Cardinals entered the eighth inning trailing 4-3, but that was erased on an RBI single by Matt Carpenter. Donovan then followed with a two-run single to give the Cardinals the lead, then he scored on an RBI triple off the bat of Lars Nootbaar. Donovan finished the night 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored and is now hitting .233/.311/.368 with four homers and 25 RBI on the season.

It doesn’t come as much of a surprise to see Gorman getting a break with lefty DL Hall on the mound for Milwaukee on Saturday afternoon following one of the worst performances of his career during Friday’s series opener when he went 0-for-5 with four strikeouts. It’ll be Brendan Donovan handling the keystone in his absence.

Donovan returned to the lineup on Saturday after a one-game absence with a right elbow contusion. He looked just fine against the Marlins. After knocking a double in the third inning, he doubled again to lead off the fifth and came around to score on a single by Iván Herrera. Donovan reached a third time, drawing a walk in the sixth. The 27-year-old is off to a hot start at the plate, going 10-for-29 with a home run, seven runs scored, and six RBI.

Donovan is back at second base and leading off on Saturday against Marlins lefty Trevor Rogers following a brief one-game absence due to a right elbow contusion. The versatile 27-year-old has gotten off to a strong start, batting .308 (8-for-26) with six runs scored, one homer and six RBI through seven contests. He’s proven worthy of a roster spot for fantasy managers in shallow mixed leagues at the outset of the year.

Donovan sat out Thursday’s home opener after being hit by a pitch just above the right elbow during Wednesday’s series finale against the Padres. The versatile 27-year-old, who has been hit by pitches four times through seven games, told reporters afterwards that he expects to be ready to return to the lineup this weekend.

Donovan was hit by a pair of pitches during Wednesday’s contest against the Padres before leaving the game. The encouraging news for fantasy managers is that he doesn’t appear to have broken anything and is merely dealing with some bruising. He should be considered day-to-day for now.

Donovan remained in the game to run the bases for himself, but was replaced when the Cardinals took the field the next inning. He’ll presumably head for X-rays just to make sure that everything checks out structurally. Expect the Cardinals to provide an update on his status once that imaging is done.

Gorman takes a seat after making five consecutive starts at second base to open the season. It’ll be a red-hot Brendan Donovan getting a turn at the keystone with Alec Burleson at designated hitter on Tuesday evening out in San Diego against veteran righty Yu Darvish.