The St. Louis Cardinals have had a rough start to the season, sitting at 6-7 and in third place in the NL Central as of Saturday. After losing their starting catcher Ivan Herrera to a knee injury, the team is now facing another setback with the loss of their promising young shortstop, Masyn Winn.
Winn was forced to leave Friday’s game due to back spasms, and although he initially resisted being placed on the injured list, he was ultimately added to the 10-day IL on Saturday. The Cardinals are hoping to address the issue early to prevent it from becoming a lingering problem throughout the season, according to MLB.com’s John Denton.
Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol shared his conversation with Winn, noting that the young shortstop recognized the importance of addressing the injury right away. “He’s a competitor, but once we talked through it, he understood that it’s better to take care of this now rather than risk it becoming a bigger issue down the road,” Marmol said.
Winn, who had an impressive rookie year in 2024, had high expectations heading into this season, including a bold prediction to steal 30 bases. However, after 13 games, he has yet to attempt a stolen base. Last season, Winn slashed .267/.314/.416, hitting 15 home runs and stealing 11 bases, while also leading all shortstops with 14 defensive runs saved.
This isn’t the first time Winn has dealt with back issues, as he faced similar problems last year, although the current injury feels slightly less severe. To fill in during Winn’s absence, the Cardinals have recalled Nolan Gorman from the 10-day IL, where he was recovering from a hamstring strain. Gorman will take over at shortstop until Winn is ready to return. Despite his early struggles this season, Winn hopes to bounce back and continue building on his solid rookie campaign.
