Brendan Donovan DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Brendan Donovan (hip) is back at second base and is batting third for the Cardinals in Wednesday's road contest against the Baltimore Orioles and left-hander Cade Povich at Camden Yards. Donovan is back a day after being scratched from Tuesday's starting lineup with tightness in his hip. The 28-year-old German native ranks seventh in all of baseball with his .328 batting average (66-for-201). He comes into Wednesday's game with only three home runs, though, adding 22 RBI, 29 runs scored and three stolen bases in his 201 at-bats. While Donovan makes a lot of contact and hits in a prime lineup spot, he won't be as attractive in DFS lineups in his return against a left-handed pitcher. The lefty hitter has gone 15-for-63 (.238) with a home run and five RBI in his 68 plate appearances against southpaws in 2025.

St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Brendan Donovan (hip) has been scratched from Tuesday's starting lineup against the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards due to hip tightness. However, per manager Oliver Marmol, Donovan is expected to return by Wednesday. Nolan Gorman will enter the lineup and play second base while batting seventh against Orioles right-hander Tomoyuki Sugano. It's not a serious injury, but the 28-year-old Donovan will retreat to the bench after starting the last 29 games. Fantasy managers will want to get him back into their starting lineups for Wednesday's contest. Gorman, a former first-rounder in 2018, hasn't been able to put it together yet at the plate, going 16-for-85 (.188) with only one home run, nine RBI and 12 runs scored. He has six hits in 32 at-bats in May with an RBI and nine strikeouts and he has never faced Sugano in his career.

St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Brendan Donovan (rib) is back at second base and is hitting third for Friday's series opener at Busch Stadium against the division-rival Milwaukee Brewers and right-hander Chad Patrick. Donovan will return to the lineup after missing the last two games earlier this week after one of his ribs popped out of place. It sounds playful, but the 28-year-old utility man is ready to go for the weekend series against Milwaukee and should be returned to fantasy lineups. Although the German infielder/outfielder has never faced Patrick, he's been one of the most productive hitters through the first month of the 2025 season. Donovan enters Friday's game slashing .356/.392/.533 with a .925 OPS, three homers, 13 RBI, 14 runs scored and three stolen bases. He's not going to give you much power, but fantasy managers need to ride his hot streak while it lasts.