Uncertainty Looms for Masyn Winn, St. Louis Cardinals

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

Uncertainty Looms for Masyn Winn, St. Louis Cardinals

Originally posted on St. Louis Cardinals on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Aug 24, 2026 8:06 AM ET

Add us as a preferred source on Google

The St. Louis Cardinals have been playing better of late, but they just put together a worst-case scenario series against the Philadelphia Phillies with their chances of making a run at a playoff spot in mind.

St. Louis has been scratching and clawing its way back into the mix in the Wild Card race, but it was swept in a three-game series against the Phillies over the weekend. Sunday's loss against the Phillies was the most back-breaking. The Cardinals held a 4-0 lead heading into the ninth inning, but allowed six runs in the ninth, including a walk-off home run by Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber.

KYLE SCHWARBER WALK-OFF HOMER!

6 RUNS IN THE 9TH
9 STRAIGHT WINS
THE @PHILLIES!!! pic.twitter.com/PNwVEQveCN
— MLB (@MLB) August 23, 2026

Masyn Winn Is Dealing With A Sore Thumb

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

A brutal weekend for the Cardinals, to say the least. Plus, it doesn't help that the Cardinals have been missing shortstop Masyn Winn.

Winn's last start came on Aug. 19 against the Cincinnati Reds. On Thursday and Friday, he entered as a late-game replacement. Then, he didn't play on Saturday or Sunday. Winn jammed his thumb while sliding into a base on Tuesday against the Reds. Since then, the Cardinals have been hopeful that he wouldn't need a stint on the Injured List. But the pain has lingered and the Cardinals have been playing with a short bench as a result.

On Sunday, Winn shared that he was expecting to get an MRI on his injured thumb, as shared by Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

"They want to know as soon as possible, and I’m all about that,” Winn said about getting an MRI. “I want to know what’s going on. I hope it comes back clean. I want to be back in there [the lineup] when we come back Tuesday.”

The Cardinals have a day off on Monday before they're scheduled to kick off a three-game series at home against the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday night. After being swept by the Phillies, the Cardinals are now 66-66 on the season and 5 1/2 games back of a Wild Card spot. If they want to make a run this season, they're going to need a lot to go right over these next few weeks, including getting Winn back.

So far this season, Winn is slashing .238/.314/.326 with a .641 OPS, five home runs, 51 RBIs and 10 stolen bases in 122 games played. His bat was starting to come around before hurting his thumb. Now, we wait and hope the young shortstop can play on Tuesday.

This article first appeared on St. Louis Cardinals on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: