The Untold Story of Masyn Winn’s 2025 Season

When the Knee Gave Way: The Untold Story of Masyn Winn’s 2025 Season
 

There was a point last season when it looked like Masyn Winn was taking the next step.

Through the first two months of 2025, Winn wasn’t just holding his own — he was impacting games. The bat had life. He was driving the ball with authority. His on-base numbers were climbing. The game seemed to be slowing down for him, and for a young shortstop in St. Louis, that’s no small thing.

Then something changed.

The production dipped. The extra-base hits became less frequent. The consistency wavered. The numbers flattened out, and by season’s end the stat line didn’t reflect the early promise.

What we later learned was that Winn had been dealing with a right knee meniscus tear — and he played through it.

That matters.

A shortstop’s game is built from the ground up. First step quickness. Lateral range. Lower-half torque at the plate. Even subtle instability can alter timing, reduce power, and wear down endurance over 162 games. Winn chose to stay on the field. That decision likely cost him some offensive production, but it also told you something about his makeup.

Despite the knee issue, his defense never wavered. In fact, he remained one of the most reliable gloves in the league at shortstop. The internal clock, the arm strength, the accuracy across the diamond — those tools didn’t disappear.

But offensively, the second half revealed the toll. The early-season trajectory gave way to a more modest finish. By September, the Cardinals shut him down, and offseason meniscus surgery followed.

Now the question isn’t what happened in 2025.

The question is what a fully healthy Winn looks like in 2026.

If the knee truly limited his lower half — and there’s every reason to believe it did — then last year’s early stretch may be the more accurate preview of what he can become. The power could tick back up. The line drives could return. The confidence at the plate may stabilize.

Young players don’t always progress in a straight line. Sometimes growth comes disguised as adversity.

For Winn, 2025 may have been less about decline and more about endurance — about learning how to navigate a season when your body isn’t cooperating.

The Cardinals don’t need him to be a superstar. They need him to be steady, healthy, and ascending.

If the knee is right, there’s every reason to believe the upward trend resumes.

And if that happens, what we saw last April won’t look like a mirage.

It’ll look like a preview.