Masyn Winn injury forces the Cardinals to take desperate measures

The St. Louis Cardinals' lack of depth at shortstop has come back to bite them in the game against the Philadelphia Phillies on April 11 after the injury bug returned to Busch Stadium, this time claiming highly touted young shortstop Masyn Winn, who was removed from the game in the second inning after experiencing back spasms.

The Cardinals had to press Pedro Pages into emergency duty at the keystone.

This was potentially the worst game for Winn to be removed from, as the backup shortstop would normally be utility player Brendan Donovan and Thomas Saggese would play second base after Nolan Gorman was placed on the injured list. However, Cardinals manager Oli Marmol opted to place Donovan in the designated hitter role, forcing him to place catcher Pedro Pages at second base and move Saggese to shortstop. Newly promoted catcher Yohel Pozo took over behind the plate in the absence of Ivan Herrera.

Pages has never played second base in his college or professional career, and Andre Pallante's ground ball tendencies could provide Pages several chances before the game concludes. Pages has exhibited a surprisingly effective bat to begin 2025, hitting .286 with a .786 OPS prior to the April 11 game, and pitchers reportedly love throwing to Pages behind the plate. With Herrera expected to miss about a month, Pages will have a fairly extended chance to prove that he can continue his steady performance at the plate. Just don't expect him to take over at second base again.

Cardinals and fans will hope that Winn can return to action in the April 12 game that begins at 1:15 p.m. Central time. If Winn is forced to miss any games, the Cardinals will likely promote utility man Michael Helman, whom the Cardinals acquired in an offseason trade with the Minnesota Twins for cash considerations.

The Cardinals are already feeling the effects of losing Herrera's potent bat, as their offense deflated on April 9, with the team scoring a single run in a 13-inning affair on April 9. The absence of Winn would be a massive blow to the Cardinals on both the hitting and defensive sides of the game, so hopefully the injury winds up being minor as the shortstop looks to build on an impressive rookie campaign.