Masyn Winn downplayed the pain in his left knee on Sunday when he was forced out of a game, but when the pain lingered until Tuesday, the Cardinals had him undergo an MRI to determine the severity of the injury. The results of the MRI came back “clean,” per manager Oli Marmol.
ST. LOUIS – A player with a high pain tolerance and someone who despises missing games, Masyn Winn boldly predicted that he would be in the Cardinals’ starting lineup on Tuesday even though he was experiencing knee soreness that knocked him out of a weekend game.
As has often been the case with Winn when he has gone through injuries, the 24-year-old shortstop overestimated his healing powers and the need to take care of his body when he’s banged up.
Winn was not only out of the lineup on Tuesday when the Cardinals were set to take on the Pirates, but he was away from Busch Stadium getting an MRI on his ailing left knee. Ultimately, the Cardinals got good news when the MRI came back “clean,” per Oli Marmol, and showed no structural damage to the knee.
"He'll be day to day and he's feeling a lot better as the day has gone on," Marmol told Cardinals.TV reporter Jim Hayes. "He'll come in (on Wednesday), move around a little bit and our hope is he'll be able to get in there."
Cesar Prieto, who worked in Triple-A earlier in the season to play shortstop after spending more of his time previously at third base and second, got the start at shortstop on Tuesday night against the Pirates.
Winn was limited to 129 games in 2925 and underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee last October. Winn won his first Gold Glove in 2025 after committing just three errors in 501 total chances. This season, he has already committed four errors in 191 chances.
The Cardinals were understandably concerned that Winn’s knee was still sore on Tuesday even after having Monday off.
“He rested yesterday and when he came in today, he was slightly better, but it was still store,” Marmol said. "So, we wanted to make sure if we’re going to test it out that let’s get some imaging first.
“This is a guy that will play through about anything. So, if you're going to push through, you want to know everything is sound and we're in a good spot there. His hope and my hope is he's back (on Wednesday)."
Winn's knee pain has lingered since Sunday
Winn left Sunday’s game after racing down the first base line to beat out a double play try by the Kansas City Royals. Soon after hitting the third base line, Winn doubled over in pain and was joined by a medical trainer before leaving the game.
“It almost felt like a cramp when the calf tightened up on me a little bit and they thought it was better to take me out,” said Winn, who had a single and was hit by a pitch before grounding to third base in the seventh inning. “I wanted to stay in, and they told me run and I took one step and thought that it was probably not worth it.”
On the season, Winn is slashing .255/.331/.353/.634 with a homer, eight doubles, a triple and 17 RBI. Going into the season, Winn raved about how well his right knee felt after playing in pain much of the second of the 2025 season and he had hoped to be more active on the basepaths this season. He has stolen just four bases in five attempts this season, but having a surgically repaired right knee has aided his play this season.
“Last year, we saw him pick his spots, going first to third and with base advancements, he led the team in those areas,” Marmol said. “When he feels fresh and his legs are under him, (running the bases) is a big part of his game. He’s aggressive, he’s smart and he’s explosive. Defensively and on the bases, we’re seeing (health with the right knee) in all aspects of his game.
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