The St. Louis Cardinals scratched All-Star second baseman Brendan Donovan from Saturday's lineup due to tightness in his left groin.

Initially set to lead off against the Chicago Cubs, Donovan instead will sit for precautionary reasons per the Cardinals.

A first-time All-Star this season, Donovan leads the Cardinals with 115 hits while batting .278 on the year to go with nine home runs and 43 RBIs. However, in 18 games since the All-Star break, Donovan has batted just .178. That includes a 5-for-41 skid over the last 11 games.

In four years with St. Louis, the 28-year-old Donovan has hit .280 with 39 homers and 195 RBIs in 481 games.

Thomas Saggese replaced Donovan at second base as the Cardinals moved center fielder Lars Nootbaar into the leadoff spot.