Cardinals' Masyn Winn Injury Update Provides Good News Before Series Vs. Rockies

The Cardinals shortstop landed on the injured list in late August due to a left thumb fracture

Aug 18, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn (0) throws to first to get Cincinnati Reds outfielder Hector Rodriguez (not pictured) out in the eighth inning at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

St. Louis Cardinals star rookie JJ Wetherholt is still on the injured list due to a wrist ailment, but the team could be getting back his double-play partner on the field as soon as Friday.

St. Louis opens a three-game road series vs. the Colorado Rockies on Friday night, and it was reported that shortstop Masyn Winn will likely return from his injury absence during the set.

"The Cardinals wanted shortstop Masyn Winn (thumb fracture) to go through another round of workouts and batting in the cage before they greenlight his return to the starting lineup. That could be as soon as Friday in Colorado, and the Cardinals expect it to be sometime during the team’s three-game weekend series at Coors Field," Cardinals beat writer Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch wrote.

Winn landed on the 10-day IL on Aug. 25 with a fractured left thumb after suffering the injury during the team's 3-0 win vs. the Cincinnati Reds on Aug. 18.

It was reported Wednesday that he had a chance to return to St. Louis' lineup on Thursday against the Los Angeles Dodgers, though that didn't happen.

Winn has struggled at the plate in 2026, posting five home runs, 51 RBIs and a .238/.314/.326 slash line across 490 plate appearances covering 122 games. The 2025 Gold Glove award winner has been a standout defender again this year though, recording 1.5 defensive Wins Above Replacement (WAR) and a .984 fielding percentage.

Could Winn's Return Propel Cardinals To Unlikely Playoff Berth?

Aug 18, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn (0) high fives teammates after hitting a solo home run in the fifth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Despite Thursday's walk-off loss vs. the Dodgers, the Cardinals still took two out of three against the two-defending champions.

St. Louis will need to keep stringing together series wins the rest of the way if it wants a chance to sneak into the MLB playoffs.

Winn's return should only help the Cardinals' odds, but Wetherholt's comeback is also needed as soon as possible.

St. Louis enters the weekend series vs. Colorado at 70-71 and four games behind the Arizona Diamondbacks for the third and final NL wild-card spot with 21 contests remaining in the regular season.

The Cardinals need to jump the Miami Marlins (71-70) and San Diego Padres (73-67) in the standings too though, while the Pittsburgh Pirates (69-72) are just one game in back of St. Louis as well.

The Cardinals don't play the Diamondbacks, Marlins or Padres again this season, so they'll need to take care of business on their own.

St. Louis' next six games are against the bottom two teams in the NL standings in the Rockies (54-86) and San Francisco Giants (58-83), which should help the cause.