In case you missed it, the St. Louis Cardinals officially shut down Masyn Winn for the final two games of the 2026 season after he continued to experience pain in his thumb and hand as of late. The Cardinals decided it was better to just sit him than to risk him further injuring himself.
Masyn Winn will be scratched from the lineup tonight, and his season is over due to the thumb/hand soreness, just still feeling that pain. #stlcards
— Derrick Goold (@dgoold) September 26, 2026
Thomas Saggese in at shortstop.
Winn was placed on the injured list in late August with a thumb fracture, and while he managed to make his way back recently, it's best that they did shut him down rather than allow it to become an even bigger issue. It is a bit concerning that it's still an issue for him, and Winn's injury issues are something the Cardinals will need to continue monitoring as they evaluate his future.
Winn is a strong candidate to win his second career Gold Glove this year, but his offense did take a hit again this year, slashing just .232/.308/.317 with five home runs and 56 RBI in 136 games. Hopefully he's able to maintain his elite defense and bring a bit more to the plate in 2027.
Cardinals News: Quinn Mathews' future rotation spot and Jose Fermin's historic versatility mark
Quinn Mathews has been very impressive since debuting for the Cardinals this year, and manager Oli Marmol seems to agree with that assessment.
After his final start of the season on Saturday, Mathews finishes the 2026 season with a 3.83 ERA in nine starts, striking out 46 batters in 49.1 innings of work. He was excellent in Triple-A this season, and he really doesn't have anything left to prove at that level.
When Marmol was asked whether Mathews was in the same spot as McGreevy was last offseason, basically a shoo-in for the Cardinals rotation the following season, Marmol "did not push back much," according to Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat.
Oli Marmol this afternoon did not push back much on the idea that Quinn Mathews exits this season in much the same place Michael McGreevy exited last season. That is to say, if not an incumbent in the rotation entering spring, just a whisper short. Team feels he's earned that.
— Jeff Jones (@jmjones) September 26, 2026
Jose Fermin finds himself in a really interesting place in Cardinals history. Entering the season in an odd spot, fighting for the starting left field job as well as just a spot on the Opening Day roster, Fermin has now become just the fifth Cardinal in franchise history to play all seven positions other than pitcher and catcher in a single season.
He's the first Cardinal to do so since Joe McEwing and David Howard in 1999, and he's one of just three big leaguers to do that this season.
That's a significant feather in Fermin's cap and provides the Cardinals with a very helpful bench piece moving forward. Fermin has proven to be the type of player who can see his playing time increase or decrease, play the same position for weeks or change his spot on a daily basis, and still provide value no matter what his role or usage is. That is a valuable trait to have in a player who is in a reserve role.
As the Cardinals start to see even more young position player talent join the big league roster in the next year, it will be interesting to see how they balance Fermin's spot on the roster, but as long as he's providing that level of versatility while also swinging a solid bat, I think he'll have a role.
