Cardinals News: Brendan Donovan injury, Masyn Winn activated, Michael Siani optioned

The St. Louis Cardinals have been anticipating roster decisions this week with some injured list stints coming to an end, but we did receive news of a surprise injury that hopefully will not turn into its own injured list stint.

Talking to reporters on Tuesday, Oliver Marmol confirmed that utility man Brendan Donovan had been scratched from that evening's lineup due to a rib head popping out of place during the morning. Donovan was ruled out for Tuesday's game and is questionable for their Wednesday contest. Marmol does not expect Donovan to hit the injured list as of now.

This is a disappointing hiccup for the Cardinals, but hopefully one that is short-lived as Marmol is anticipating. Donovan has been one of the most productive players in baseball so far this year. In 23 games, Donovan has slashed .356/.392/.533, good for a 159 wRC+ and 1.3 fWAR already on the young season. Not only has he been incredible at the plate, but he's filled in for St. Louis at second base, shortstop, and left field as well.

The Cardinals need Donovan in their everyday lineup right now, and so hopefully that rib issue only causes him to miss a game or two.

Cardinals News: Masyn Winn activated, Michael Siani optioned to Memphis

The news that we were anticipating today was the activation of Masyn Winn from the injured list, but there were real questions as to whether Michael Siani, Thomas Saggese, or someone else would be optioned to Memphis as the corresponding move.

The club announced that Siani was the odd man out and on his way to Memphis, and while fans celebrated that decision when it was announced, Marmol did indicate that Donovan's injury played a role in that decision.

While this certainly opens the door for a potential injured list stint for Donovan if needed, the bigger news to me is that they weren't sold on keeping Saggese on the roster prior to that news. They may have kept him up even if Donovan were healthy, but it does leave room for them to potentially go back to Siani in the near future if needed.

Siani has primarily been used as a late-inning defensive substitute and pinch runner thus far, while Saggese's bat has been on fire since he was called up a few weeks ago. In 12 games for St. Louis, Saggese has a .400/.389/.600 slash line and currently leads all National League rookies in fWAR. He's been a great addition to the club thus far, and it would have been really frustrating to see them send him back down to Memphis.

Winn rejoining the team is a huge win for the club though. While Winn had a slow start to the season, he began to heat up at the plate right before hitting the injured list with back tightness, and he hit two home runs during a rehab game this weekend with Memphis. He'll assume the every day shortstop rule again and is in the lineup tonight.

We'll keep you updated on Donovan's status as we know more as well as the roster dynamic with Saggese and Siani as the weeks ago on.