Cardinals Insider Praises Team For Important Masyn Winn Decision

The Cardinals were forced to shut down their star shortstop over the weekend.

Sep 6, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn (0) throws to first base against the San Francisco Giants at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Vizer-Imagn Images | Tim Vizer-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals salvaged a game on Sunday against the postseason-bound Milwaukee Brewers, winning 3-2 to avoid a sweep. At 73-77, they somehow remain just four games back of the third and final National League Wild Card spot, as the New York Mets have been scuffling. They were forced to make an important decision regarding the health of their star shortstop Masyn Winn on Friday, choosing to shut him down for the rest of the season.

Winn had been playing through a torn meniscus, but the original plan was to have him keep playing until the end of the season. Unfortunately, it only worsened, and the Cardinals made the decision to place him on the injured list.

Brenden Schaeffer of KMOV recently discussed how the Cardinals made the right decision to shut Winn down.

Cardinals Writer Discusses Masyn Winn Injury

Aug 28, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn (0) throws to first base in a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Vizer-Imagn Images | Tim Vizer-Imagn Images

"It took them some time—and one could make the case that it was precisely the correct amount of time—but the Cardinals eventually came to realize that shutting down Masyn Winn was the only path forward.," Schaeffer wrote.

"Winn had been playing through a torn meniscus for, apparently, a significant chunk of the season, but in recent days and weeks, it got to an unbearable point for the Gold Glove candidate.

Being scratched again from Friday’s lineup in Milwaukee, immediately following a team off-day, was the final straw for his season."

Prior to being scratched from the lineup on Friday, Winn was given a few days off in Seattle. He intended to return for Wednesday's series finale against the Mariners, but was scratched then too.

Winn is a strong candidate to win a Gold Glove this year thanks to his elite defense at shortstop. He finishes the season having made just three errors. However, it's clear that the meniscus became a bigger issue as the month of September progressed, and the Cardinals ultimately made the right call to shut him down for the rest of 2025.

At this point, with a trip to the postseason highly unlikely, the Cardinals need to make certain that Winn is fully healthy by the time spring training rolls around, even though 2026 will be a rebuilding year. He will have surgery when the season ends.

It will be interesting to see how Winn progresses in the offseason and if he is good to go for 2026.

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