Cardinals' players discuss offseason workouts, push for improvement

Brendan Donovan

Brendan Donovan is rebounding from a flexor tendon injury in his throwing arm that he experienced late last season. Donovan has become one of the most vocal leaders on the team, and his positional flexibility paired with his offensive firepower has made him an indispensible player on this roster. Donovan finished the 2023 season on the Injured List, but all signs point to him returning in time for Spring Training.

When discussing his recovery at the Winter Warm-Up, Donovan encouraged reporters that he is pain-free when working out. He has put his arm through plenty of stress tests, and he hasn't experienced pain when throwing or batting.

"My goal is that when I show up (to Spring Training) that nobody can tell, no one knows that I had surgery."

Brendan Donovan

Nolan Gorman

Nolan Gorman is another starter coming back from an injury. However, Gorman's issue is more of a lingering one than an acute one. Back in 2020, while working out during the COVID lockdown, Gorman injured his back. He has experienced repercussions of that injury since then, and he finally had to shut it down this past season to recover more. He was in and out of the lineup four separate times last year to rest due to nagging back pain.

At the Winter Warm-Up, Gorman spoke about how he is using this offseason to build up his back to avoid nagging issues. Through a new nutrition plan and a greater focus on core strength and flexibility this offseason, Gorman has been able to decrease the inflammation in his back. He, just like Donovan, believes he will be 100% ready to go by Spring Training. At the moment, Gorman and Donovan will be splitting time at second base; Nolan Gorman will probably get more starts there due to Donovan's versatility.