The St. Louis Cardinals faced off against the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday and came away with the win, but the game wasn’t without some concern.
Shortstop Masyn Winn left in the second inning due to back spasms, according to The Athletic’s Katie Woo.
“Some unexpected news — Masyn Winn exited in the second inning with lower back spasms,” Woo reported. “Thomas Saggese shifted to shortstop, Pedro Pagés moved to second base (which is unusual), and Yohel Pozo stepped in as catcher. Remember, the team doesn’t have a true backup shortstop on the roster, and Brendan Donovan is serving as DH today.”
Naturally, fans on social media were worried, but postgame updates brought some relief. Woo later reported that Winn does not anticipate being placed on the Injured List, though he might be sidelined for a few games.
“Winn shared that he’s been managing back tightness for a couple of weeks, but it locked up after fielding a grounder in the first inning,” Woo noted. “He told trainers he won’t need an IL stint but does expect to sit out a few games.”
Losing a key player like Winn, even briefly, is never ideal — especially given the initial concern that it could be a longer-term issue. Fortunately, avoiding the Injured List is the best-case scenario for a quick return.
This situation also reignites questions about the Cardinals’ infield depth, particularly since they chose to enter the season with a more outfielder-heavy roster. Could this injury prompt them to reevaluate and consider adding infield reinforcements?
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