Donovan (neck) is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Phillies.

EDGE Analysis

The 27-year-old will be withheld from the starting nine for the third consecutive game due to neck stiffness. According to John Denton of MLB.com, Donovan is expected to take swings in the batting cage Sunday and could be back in action Monday against the Astros. Alec Burleson will start in left field for the series finale while Matt Carpenter receives a turn at designated hitter.

Donovan (neck) isn't in the Cardinals' lineup Saturday against Philadelphia.

EDGE Analysis

Neck stiffness caused Donovan to be scratched from St. Louis' lineup before Friday's contest, and the issue seems to still be bothering him Saturday. Alec Burleson, Mike Siani and Dylan Carlson will start across the outfield while Donovan sits, allowing Jose Fermin to serve as the designated hitter.

Donovan, who was set to start in left field and bat in the leadoff spot Friday against the Phillies, was scratched from the Cardinals' lineup due to neck stiffness, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

EDGE Analysis

Dylan Carlson will enter the lineup and start in right field, while Alec Burleson shifts to left field and Matt Carpenter moves up to the leadoff spot, per John Denton of MLB.com.

Donovan went 3-for-4 with a double and a hit-by-pitch in Wednesday's 5-3 win over the Reds.

EDGE Analysis

This was Donovan's third multi-hit effort in the last five games. He's now gone 17-for-49 (.347) over his last 13 contests, though he has zero home runs and six doubles in that span. The 27-year-old is up to a .245/.326/.382 slash line with four homers, 25 RBI, 26 runs scored, 14 doubles, one triple and no stolen bases over 233 plate appearances this season. Donovan's lack of steals and mediocre sprint speed -- in the 42nd percentile, per Statcast -- makes him an odd fit for the leadoff role, but that's where he's hit for most of the campaign. Masyn Winn has also seen time at leadoff versus left-handed pitchers recently, but Donovan remains atop the order versus righties.

Donovan isn't in the Cardinals' lineup for Friday's game against the Brewers, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

EDGE Analysis

Left-hander Robert Gasser will make his MLB debut Friday as Milwaukee's starting pitcher, meaning the left-handed bat of Donovan will watch the beginning of the game from the Cardinals' dugout. Lars Nootbaar, Mike Siani and Dylan Carlson will start across St. Louis' outfield while Donovan sits.

Donovan is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Mets.

EDGE Analysis

With left-hander Jose Quintana toeing the slab for the Mets, the Cardinals have elected to give the left-handed-hitting Donovan a breather. Lars Nootbaar will fill in for Donovan in left field.

Donovan went 2-for-5 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 7-5 loss to the Mets.

EDGE Analysis

A day after being taken out of the leadoff spot, Donovan led off Tuesday's game with a solo home run off Jose Butto for his fourth homer of the year and second career leadoff blast. He now has at least a hit in four straight games with three of those hits going for extra bases. The 27-year-old owns a .223 batting average, though that comes with an unlucky .233 BABIP. For the year, Donovan is slashing .223/.297/.381 with 13 extra-base hits, 19 RBI, 15 runs and an 11:22 BB:K in 158 plate appearances.

Donovan went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run in an 11-6 loss to the Tigers in the second game of Tuesday's doubleheader.

EDGE Analysis

Donovan sparked the Cardinals' fifth-inning rally with his homer. The utility man had hit safely in five straight games before going 0-for-4 in the matinee contest. Donovan is slashing .228/.311/.377 with three homers, 16 RBI, 13 runs scored and no stolen bases over 132 plate appearances this season. He remains the Cardinals' preferred leadoff batter and left fielder despite his mediocre hitting so far.

Donovan went 3-for-4 with a triple, one RBI and two runs scored in Friday's 9-6 win over the Diamondbacks.

EDGE Analysis

Donovan took a turn at designated hitter in Lars Nootbaar's first game back from a rib injury. Defensively, Donovan is better suited to play second base than Nolan Gorman, and that's likely how the Cardinals will line up against right-handed pitchers going forward. Donovan is batting .298 with two home runs, nine RBI, 10 runs scored, four doubles and a triple over 13 contests as the leadoff hitter. He's also been caught stealing on his only attempt this season.

Donovan went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in Wednesday's 4-3 loss to the Phillies.

EDGE Analysis

Donovan entered Wednesday 0-for-11 with two walks over his previous three games. He connected in his second at-bat, tying the game with a solo shot in the third inning. The 27-year-old has started six of the last seven games in left field, but he could move to second base once Lars Nootbaar (ribs) and Willson Contreras (hand) are able to play at their respective positions. The ripple effects of the Cardinals getting healthier could also result in Nolan Gorman at designated hitter more often. Donovan is batting .256 with two homers, eight RBI, eight runs scored and eight runs scored through 12 contests as the team's primary leadoff hitter, so it's unlikely his playing time drops off.