What Masyn Winn Said About His Exit on Sunday

May 8, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn (0) hits a single during the fifth inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

What Masyn Winn Said About His Exit on Sunday

Originally posted on St. Louis Cardinals on SI
By Curt Bishop | Last updated May 18, 2026 10:00 AM ET

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The St. Louis Cardinals were silenced on Sunday as they fell 2-0 to the Kansas City Royals and failed to record a sweep. To make matters worse, shortstop Masyn Winn was pulled in the bottom of the seventh inning due to left knee discomfort.

Cesar Prieto took over at shortstop and finished the game there for St. Louis, but the Cardinals just couldn't get their bats going, even after two strong finishes in the first two games.

However, Winn gave a prognosis on his injury after the game on Sunday. Fortunately for St. Louis, Winn should be good to go when they open their series against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday.

"Nothing too serious," Winn said. "I'm not worried about it.

Winn should be good to go on Tuesday

Joe Puetz-Imagn Images

This is good news for the Cardinals, as they can ill afford to lose their star shortstop right now, especially with the National League Central being as tight as it is. But Winn said he lobbied to stay in the game and even felt fine while running the bases.

It wasn't until the Royals made a pitching change that he felt something was off. So, the Cardinals made the decision to pull him and give him a rest.

The timing is also good with Monday being an off-day. That will give Winn time to recover and hopefully be back in the lineup on Tuesday when the Pirates come to town. But the Cardinals are going to need him in the lineup as they begin a crucial 12-game stretch against NL Central opponents.

Entering Monday, all teams in the division had a winning record. St. Louis is 27-19 after its loss to the Royals and sits 1 1/2 games back of the Chicago Cubs for first place.

The Cardinals have not been to the postseason since 2022, but the vibes are high after a hot start, and the city is finally beginning to rally around this team and believe in the plan that is coming into focus under new president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom.

Winn is a big part of that, so the Cardinals will need him healthy. He won a Gold Glove last season and could be in line to become an All-Star for the first time this year. It will be interesting to see what else he has in store, but the Cardinals seem to have dodged a bullet.

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

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