Masyn Winn is hurt — and he knows it. But don’t expect him to sit out.
Tuesday night’s loss to the Rockies was a gut punch for the Cardinals — and for Masyn Winn, it came with a personal price. As Erick Fedde was shelled for six earned runs over just three innings, the Cardinals dropped their seventh game in the last ten, falling to 52–50. They now trail the NL Central–leading Cubs by 8.5 games and sit 3.5 back in the Wild Card race, all while Winn revealed he’s playing through a painful knee injury.
It’s no secret the heat’s turned up in St. Louis.
Fedde? Gone. The team designated him for assignment on Wednesday morning, ending a brutal stretch that had him wearing ten losses and an ERA that never recovered after May.
But while the front office moves pieces on the chessboard, one of the Cardinals’ most important young stars is doing everything he can to stay on it — even with a banged-up knee that, by his own words, is “not okay.” This, from a player that dealt with back spasms earlier in the season.
Masyn Winn’s Knee is “Jacked Up”
“My knee is jacked up right now,” Masyn Winn admitted after Tuesday’s loss. “I got an injection before the break but I don’t really think it did anything. But I can’t afford to sit out.”
The 23-year-old shortstop is in his third season with the club and already playing like a leader. Offensively, he’s been steady — .269 average, .713 OPS, seven homers, and 34 RBIs across 90 games. Defensively? Indeed, one of the best in the league.
But more than the numbers, it’s his mindset that’s defining this stretch of the season. Winn doesn’t want rest. He wants wins. He knows how much ground the Cardinals have to make up and how important every game is from here on out.
“I already missed a lot this year,” he said. “I’d like to play every single one moving forward.”
In a clubhouse still searching for a spark, Masyn Winn is trying to be the flame — even on one leg.
