Louis Cardinals scratched shortstop Masyn Winn just one day after his return from a brief stay on the injured list. The Cardinals cited Winn's left thumb as the cause for his scratch, which the Gold Glover has had his struggles with this season. He fractured his left thumb on Aug. 21 while sliding into second base, landing on the injured list a few days later.
Winn returned to the Cardinals' lineup on Tuesday, going 0-for-4 on the evening. The fourth-year shortstop hasn't had any luck with injuries over the past two seasons, with his latest thumb issue causing his third trip to the IL over the past two seasons. In 2025, Winn missed time due to lower back spasms early in the season, and went down late in the year with a torn meniscus.
Winn has played 123 games so far this season, hitting five homers and driving in 51 runs while posting a .635 OPS throughout the season. That being said, the Cardinals don't have Winn on the field for his bat. As per usual, Winn ranks among MLB's elite with his glove this season.
His 15 outs above average rank second-most among NL shortstops this season, just one behind Chicago Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson. Additionally, his plus-15 fielding run value is second only to Bobby Witt Jr. Winn originally sat in the No. 8 spot in the lineup for Wednesday's game as the team's shortstop, and Thomas Saggese stepped in for him while moving up to the No. 7 spot after the Cardinals scratched him.
Saggese spent a few months of the season in the minors after a lackluster start to the season, but has been the Cardinals' hottest bat since his return to MLB. He has 16 hits in his 33 at-bats since his MLB return, hitting three homers—all of which came against the World Series champion Dodgers on the road—and has eight RBIs with an OPS well over 1.000. The Cardinals are well outside of the postseason race at the moment, so giving Winn the rest he needs to return strong for next season should take precedent over getting him in for the lats couple of weeks of the season.
Saggese will take over the spot in the meantime, looking to secure a spot on the roster.
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