St. Louis Cardinals’ manager Oli Marmol provided updates on injured All-Stars Brendan Donovan and Nolan Arenado on Monday afternoon before the Cardinals’ series opener vs. the Athletics at Busch Stadium.
“#STLCards All-Star Brendan Donovan (foot/groin soreness) went through a full workout today with fielding, running and hitting and will do the same on Tuesday to monitor his soreness, manager Oil Marmol said,” per MLB.com’s John Denton on X. “He then could go out on a rehab assignment.”
“#STLCards 3B Nolan Arenado (shoulder strain) will be in St. Louis on Wednesday and he will be examined by team doctors on Thursday, manager Oil Marmol said. If cleared, he will work out with the team in the pregame on Thursday and then possibly go out on a rehab assignment.”
#STLCards 3B Nolan Arenado (shoulder strain) will be in St. Louis on Wednesday and he will be examined by team doctors on Thursday, manager Oli Marmol said. If cleared, he will work out with the team in the pregame on Thursday and then possibly go out on a rehab assignment.
— John Denton (@JohnDenton555) September 1, 2025
Cardinals’ injury woes
St. Louis is technically still in contention for the last NL Wild Card spot, sitting 5.5 games back of the New York Mets with a month of games left to play. But the Cardinals have struggled to make a real playoff push in the absence of their star infielders.
Donovan was placed on the 10-day injured list retroactive to Aug. 15 with a left groin strain, and Arenado, who's been working in Jupiter, Fla, hasn’t played in a game since July 30.
The 34-year-old third baseman, who’s made eight All-Star appearances throughout his illustrious career, isn’t having the best offensive season with a .235/.294/.366 slash line. But he’s still a solid defender at the hot corner.
Meanwhile, Donovan made his first All-Star team this season, during which he’s batting .279 with nine homers and 45 RBI over 110 games. The 28-year-old lefty is about to wrap up his fourth season in the major leagues.
While the Cardinals (68-70) have just a 0.9% chance to make the playoffs, according to FanGraphs, St. Louis will need its All-Stars to return soon if it hopes to defy the odds and sneak into the postseason.