St. Louis Cardinals utility man Brendan Donovan exited Tuesday night’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays with left toe discomfort, the club announced. Manager Oli Marmol clarified that Donovan has been dealing with irritation in the joint of his left big toe, which ultimately forced his early departure.
“He couldn’t even get off his backside during that last at-bat,” Marmol stated. “It was hurting him pretty bad, so we took him out.”
Donovan, the Cardinals’ most consistent hitter this season, went 0-for-3 before leaving. Despite negative X-rays, the pain flared suddenly. “I was running around in the outfield, and it just started bugging me,” Donovan explained. “Then it kind of just got progressively worse, and then it got real grumpy at me.”
He added, “It’s on my left foot, so that’s the foot I rotate off of. That’s kind of what led to me coming out. I’ll sleep on it, reevaluate tomorrow, and go from there.”
The 28-year-old is in the midst of a career season, batting .310 with four home runs and 26 RBIs, ranking high in the National League for hits, doubles, and batting average. The club hopes to learn more about the injury’s severity by Wednesday. An extended absence for Donovan would be a significant blow to the Cardinals, who have largely exceeded expectations thanks to his performance.