Four and a half games back of the New York Mets in the National League Wild Card race, the St. Louis Cardinals are not out of the postseason running just yet. But they have a lot of work to do in a short amount of time.
Their attempt at a miraculous comeback did not get easier when they learned that their Gold Glove-caliber shortstop, Masyn Winn, would play the rest of the season with a meniscus tear in his right knee. Manager Oli Marmol broke the news to reporters on September 9.
With 15 games remaining on the Cardinals’ regular-season schedule, the organization surely hopes Winn’s injury does not worsen, and he can undergo surgery during the offseason. Why are they allowing him to play?
Masyn Winn Will Continue to Play in 2025
Winn, 23, will have surgery to fix the tear in his meniscus during the winter, and team doctors told him that he is not at further risk of the injury worsening if he remains on the field for the next few weeks.
âSome stuff is probably going to have to be done this offseason to help me out,â Winn told reporters, including The Athletic’s Katie Woo. âBut I want to finish the year as strong as possible. I hate not playing games ⦠but going forward, if Iâm going to play the rest of the year out, maybe taking a day (off) here and there isnât a bad idea.â
If a day comes when Winn needs to take off, Thomas Saggese can take over the duties at shortstop. But Saggese is not nearly as good a defender as Winn is.
“Winn is in the midst of one of the best defensive seasons by a Cardinal in recent memory. He leads MLB in Outs Above Average (22) and all MLB shortstops with a .994 fielding percentage,” wrote Woo. “Heâs made just three errors this season and is on pace to post the highest full-season fielding percentage by a Cardinals shortstop in franchise history.”
Outlook for 2026
The Cardinals hope they can put their disappointing 2025 season in the rear-view mirror when the season concludes. Winn is a bright spot on a roster that could have top prospect JJ Wetherholt making contributions next year.
Wetherholt, a 23-year-old shortstop who can also play second and third base, has hit nine home runs with a .314 batting average and .997 OPS in 39 games this season at Triple-A Memphis.
“Barring an unusual change, it does not appear that Wetherholt will factor into the major-league clubâs plans this season,” wrote Woo, shutting down the idea that the Cardinals may give their top prospect a Major League Baseball opportunity this season.
According to Baseball Reference, the Cardinals have a 0.7 percent chance of making this year’s playoffs. As a result, Winn is not prepared to give up just yet.
“I feel I owe it to these guys to finish the year strong,â Winn told Woo. âI definitely donât want to cash it in this early. Technically, we still have a shot (for a playoff berth), so I want to go out there and compete for that.”
If the Cardinals are unable to qualify for the postseason, the front office will turn its attention to the free agent market and monitor Winn’s rehab process.
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