Latest Masyn Winn news proves he needs to be the face of the St. Louis Cardinals

Players throughout Major League Baseball fight tweaks, twinges, and injuries all year long. Ask any veteran player, and they'll be able to recount a time where they played through an injury for an extended period of time to stay on the field and help the team.

For the St. Louis Cardinals, having players play through injuries — or at least remain on the active roster while ailing — has become common practice this year. Over the last two months, the club has played with a short bench due to injury concerns with Nolan Arenado, Willson Contreras, and Brendan Donovan. Two of those three players hit the Injured List over the last month, while one sat out nearly a week to rest and recover.

Other players, like Lars Nootbaar, Nolan Gorman, and Victor Scott II, have spent varying amounts of time on the IL due to injuries.

One regular starter has fought the IL with all of his might this year: Masyn Winn.

Winn is third on the team in games played this year, with 116, behind only Willson Contreras (120) and Alec Burleson (118). He's second in plate appearances (486), just 14 plate appearances behind Contreras (500) for the most on the team this year. He has spent only 10 days on the IL this year. He sat out from April 12 through April 22 due to lower back spasms, and he rested just one day earlier this year due to an ankle injury. He's been one of the most durable players throughout baseball.

However, the injury bug eventually comes for all players, and Winn is battling another ailment right now.

During the All-Star Break, Masyn Winn received a pain-killing injection in his left knee due to pain and soreness. He disclosed this information following an embarrassing loss to the Colorado Rockies on July 22nd in a post-game interview. In that interview, Winn described his knee as "jacked up" and that it is "not okay." Those aren't overly encouraging words for a player who plays one of the most demanding positions on the diamond outside of catching.

However, despite this constant pain, Winn has been posting day after day. Since the All-Star Break, Winn has a .267/.307/.375 slash line to go along with four stolen bases, seven doubles, and four home runs. While one would love to see more offensive prowess from him, you can't fault a player with a 93 wRC+ who has been dealing with great pain for the last month and a half.

Winn underwent an MRI for the second time this year on Monday morning in St. Louis to see if the damage to his knee has worsened since July. “It doesn’t feel great, obviously, and I would have played today if it felt good, but we’re going to get some testing done and see what it shows,” Winn said after sitting out for the second game in four days. “I got an MRI earlier in the year, and it showed a little something. I’m assuming this one’s going to show a little more, but I don’t think that changes my outlook."

Masyn Winn's willingness to battle through injuries while playing top-notch defense proves his value to the St. Louis Cardinals.

Winn has been grinding each day despite having awful pain in his knee. When speaking about his outlook for the near future, Masyn didn't even hint at a stint on the IL.

"Whatever it shows, I’m going to be ready to play tomorrow and going forward. It sucks that I’ve had to miss two of the last four games, but going forward, I’m going to have to play through it and suck it up.”

This is the mentality of a bulldog and a competitor. In a season where the Cardinals are 18 games back in the division and five back in the Wild Card race, it would be very easy for a player to want to sit out the remaining month of the year and get a head start on the offseason and recovery. Masyn Winn isn't like most players, though.

"It very well might [require surgery] and that’s something we’ll look at at the end of the year, but right now I want to be out there on the field,” said Winn. “We’ve still got a chance to make the playoffs and play some good ball, so I want to be out there and playing shortstop as much as I can.”

Winn's desire to play through an injury only builds his case for a contract extension to make him the face of the franchise. Winn's Gold Glove (Platinum Glove potentially) defense to go along with his league-average offense has already made him an easy candidate for a long-term extension. Add to that his competitiveness and willingness to sacrifice for the team, and you have a cornerstone player for the future.

After missing two of the last four games, Winn was in the starting lineup against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday night batting second and playing short.

Winn probably won't be a supreme offensive player, but he'll be a superb defensive shortstop with a fire and a desire to grow. His ability to play through injuries this year makes him the most obvious player to be the next face of the franchise.