Cardinals Top Prospect Reportedly Leaves Game Due To Injury; Could Call Up Be In Jeopardy?

St. Louis' top prospect recently got some tough news

The St. Louis Cardinals recently got some rough news. 

St. Louis certainly has been disappointing so far this season. The Cardinals entered the 2023 campaign with World Series aspirations but struggled to ever get on track. It was widely expected that the Cardinals would finish toward the top of the National League Central standings this season but St. Louis currently is in last place in the division with an abysmal 49-64 record. 

The Cardinals were forced to be sellers ahead of the 2023 Major League Baseball Trade Deadline for the first time in years due to the surprising struggles. St. Louis traded away starting pitchers Jordan Montgomery and Jack Flaherty along with shortstop Paul DeJong to name a few players on the move. One player that likely would've gotten a shot with the big league club in the not-so-distant future is top prospect Masyn Winn, but his promotion may be delayed after leaving Sunday's contest with the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds early due to a glute strain, according to MLB.com's John Denton.

"Winn, the top-ranked prospect in the Cardinals' Minor League system, per MLB Pipeline, left Sunday’s game between Triple-A Memphis and Jacksonville after the sixth inning with what Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak described as a 'mild glute strain,'" Denton said. "Winn, 21, was injured on Sunday after stepping onto a base awkwardly. He was 0-for-3 with a strikeout before being replaced at shortstop by Kramer Robertson."

The 21-year-old had been making it very hard for the Cardinals to not call him up lately. St. Louis' top prospect was red-hot throughout the month of July and slashed .359/.427/.750 to go along with eight home runs and 26 RBIs. Speculation has been growing lately about the possibility of St. Louis calling up Winn before the end of the 2023 campaign. Although Winn likely will miss some time due to injury, it wouldn't be too surprising to see him up with the big league club at some point this season. 

St. Louis may not have had the season many expected it to have but it still has a bright future and Winn is one of the reasons why.

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