Brendan

Donovan

Since Thomas Saggese was called up earlier this week, he has started every single game with the Cardinals rotating out another player in the lineup each game. One game Masyn Winn sat, the next game Lars Nootbaar sat, and now Brendan Donovan will sit. It’s a bit of a frustrating situation for fantasy managers because you’ll never know who will sit in which game.

Donovan has been out of action for the last few games while he deals with a foot infection. The 27-year-old may need to have some maintenance days as the season comes to a close, but he’s feeling well enough to hit at the top spot against Rhett Lowder and Cincinnati.

There was some hope that Donovan could play Sunday after missing Saturday while dealing with an infection in his foot, but the Cardinals will give him at least one more day off. José Fermín again gets the start at second base in Donovan’s absence.

Cardinals manager Oli Marmol told reporters before Saturday’s game the infection makes it difficult for Donovan to put pressure on his foot. Marmol also did note that the team is considering Donovan day-to-day, and they’re hopeful Donovan can play Sunday in the series finale. José Fermín is starting at second base with Donovan unavailable.

Donovan’s three-run blast off Yankees starter Will Warren in the third inning put St. Louis ahead in the early stages of the contest as they managed to hang on for a narrow victory at Yankee Stadium. It was his 11th round-tripper of the season.

Donovan had been stuck on nine homers since July 20, so it’s nice to see hm back on the board there. His .266/.333/.393 line is perfect solid, but the hope that was he’d do a little better in homers and steals this season. He’s at 10 and four, respectively, through 122 games this season. Last year, he finished with 11 homers and five steals in 95 games.

It’ll be Victor Scott II in center field, with Lars Nootbaar and Brendan Donovan in the corners, and Alec Burleson at designated hitter, on Saturday night at Busch Stadium. Walker has gone 1-for-8 with three strikeouts in three games since returning to the majors earlier this week after an extended hot streak at Triple-A Memphis that coincided with some mechanical adjustments to his swing. The 22-year-old former top prospect is unlikely to carve out enough consistent playing time in the Cardinals’ crowded outfield mix to make a significant impact for fantasy managers down the home stretch, but he’s a name to watch heading into next year.

Gorman is making his first start since Tuesday as Brendan Donovan has gotten extended run at the keystone in the wake of veteran Tommy Pham coming over from the White Sox at the trade deadline. It’s a disappointing development for fantasy managers as Gorman has made just three starts since July 24 and appears likely to be relegated to pinch-hitting moving forward.

Donovan drove in a run with a base hit in the second inning and scored on a sacrifice bunt. He brought another run in to score with a single in the fifth. A sacrifice fly in the seventh would give Donovan his third RBI of the game. The 27-year-old is hitting .264/.330/.393 with nine homers, 45 runs scored, 51 RBI, and three steals across 442 plate appearances.

Pham started his career with the Cardinals in 2014 and played four seasons there before being traded away. He’ll now return to St. Louis after hitting .266/.330/.380 in 70 games for the White Sox with five home runs, six steals, and 33 runs scored. The 36-year-old figures to play frequently in left field, with Alec Burleson spending most of his time at DH and Brendan Donovan returning to a super-utility role. However, the Cardinals love to play matchups and rotate their lineup, so Pham may not start as much as he did with the White Sox, even though he gets a major upgrade in team context. The White Sox will now have right field available for Gavin Sheets, though he’s been playing most of the time anyway.