When it rains, it pours, they say. The St. Louis Cardinals learned that firsthand in their 10-9 defeat at the hands of the Toronto Blue Jays. Not only did the Redbirds fall short, but they also lost a key contributor to injury in utility man Brendan Donovan.
Donovan was removed from the game in the ninth inning due to "left toe discomfort," according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The severity of the matter remains unclear, but the 28-year-old has been among the Cardinals' most consistent hitters this season, so his status bears watching. Ryan Vilade replaced him in left field before Yohel Pozo served as the pinch hitter in the next frame.
Brendan Donovan was removed from the game due to "left toe discomfort," per #stlcards official.
— Derrick Goold (@dgoold) June 11, 2025
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Cardinals standout Brendan Donovan suffers toe injury in loss to Blue Jays
How or when Donovan got hurt hasn't been specified. He notably got hit by a 71-mile-per-hour curveball from Blue Jays starter Chris Bassitt, though the pitch didn't seem to come near his toe. Besides that, it's hard to pinpoint another moment in the contest that could've led to him getting banged up.
Could rounding third on Alec Burleson's single a couple of batters after getting plunked by Bassitt exacerbated the issue? After all, that marked the only time Donovan got on base. So, unless something happened while he was manning left field, there aren't many other possibilities other than a freak accident.
After the game, Cardinals manager Oli Marmol said Donovan has been experiencing "irritation in the joint of his left big toe for an extended period." St. Louis "hopes" to have more information on Wednesday (h/t John Denton of MLB.com).
Logistics aside, Donovan's health (or lack thereof) is critical to the Cards' success. He currently leads the club in WAR -- by a decent margin at that. His defensive versatility and steady production at the plate have been massive for a St. Louis squad that has exceeded expectations thus far in 2025.
St. Louis can't afford to be without Donovan for any time, let alone a prolonged period. They're trying to keep pace with the first-place Chicago Cubs for the National League Central crown and/or stay in the Wild Card race. Doing either becomes an even steeper uphill battle than it already is if he's forced to miss action.
Across 248 at-bats this year, Donovan is slashing .310/.379/.440 with 4 home runs and 26 RBIs while posting an .819 OPS. His 20 doubles are tied with New York Mets slugger Pete Alonso for second in the NL.