Here's Why Cardinals Phenom Masyn Winn Missed Sunday's Game Despite Hot Start

The young shortstop arguably has been St. Louis' best offensive player

Apr 9, 2024; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn (0) hits a double / Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

The St. Louis Cardinals certainly love what they are seeing out of top prospect Masyn Winn right now.

Winn made his big league debut in 2023 toward the end of the season but appeared in just 37 games and struggled. The young shortstop made the club's big league roster out of Spring Training and took over the starting shortstop spot.

The 22-year-old has shined and even arguably has been St. Louis' top hitter to begin the campaign. Winn has impressed, but to the surprise of some was held out of the lineup Sunday as the Cardinals lost to the Arizona Diamondbacks to drop to 7-9 on the season.

Nothing seems to be wrong with Winn and despite his early success, the day-off was nothing more than precautionary to give his body a rest, according to MLB.com's John Denton.

"At issue was rookie shortstop Masyn Winn getting another day off on Sunday even though he didn't start on Wednesday and had Thursday to rest following a team travel day," Denton said. "Winn, the Cards' top hitter this season at .349, had four hits, a stolen base, and two RBIs in the first two games of the Arizona series, but Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said the club is trying to keep the 22-year-old healthy over the entire season.

"Masyn needs a day," Marmol said. "We talked about it and his body can use it. He's swinging it well, playing good defense, and running the bases -- he's doing everything you would want him to do. But in conversation with him, today would be a good day for him to have it off. This is going to be a long season for him and keeping him fresh will be important."

This isn't too surprising. Winn still is young and hasn't experienced a full Major League Baseball season to this point. The fact that the Cardinals are taking the necessary precautions to keep him in shape throughout this season should be a welcomed sight to Cardinals fans, despite the disappointment of losing a game.

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