Masyn Winn on the bench for third straight game

Wetherholt hadn’t struck out more than twice in a game this year until tonight. His one ball in play was well struck — it was a 375-foot barrel to center — but it was handled easily by Justin Crawford. Wetherholt is hitting .181/.330/.236 this month, lowering his OPS from .741 to .714.

It will be JJ Wetherholt at shortstop and Bryan Torres at second base for the Cardinals against RHP Brady Singer. This appears to be just a routine rest for Winn, who is hitting .219/.292/.359 with a homer and two stolen bases in August.

Yeah, that Masyn Winn. He had multiple hits for the first time since Aug. 11, homered for the first time since July 3, collected multiple extra-base hits for the first time since July 28, 2025. It’s the first time in 435 career games that he’s delivered three extra-base hits. He’s currently hitting .241/.316/.330 in 484 plate appearances for the season.

Wetherholt is back at shortstop and leading off after sitting out the front-end of Monday’s twin bill at Great American Ball Park. The 23-year-old rookie sensation has struggled since last month’s All-Star break, hitting just .185 (20-for-108) with three homers and four steals in 29 games during that span. His return pushes electrifying top prospect Joshua Báez back to the fifth spot in the order for the nightcap affair.

Báez, who hit fifth in his first two major league games, figures to return to the middle of the order for the nightcap.

Fermín has become a fixture in the Cardinals’ lineup, splitting his time between left field and third base, but he’ll get a breather in this one. Blaze Jordan will take his place at the hot corner and will bat ninth against Cubs’ right-hander Edward Cabrera on Sunday.

Wetherholt hasn’t had a ton of chances to drive in runs from the leadoff spot, but including Wednesday’s in a 3-1 win over the Yankees, he’s come up with a pair of big two-run doubles in the last five days. The Rookie of the Year candidate is batting .249/.353/.387 with 16 homers and 45 RBI on the season. It’s quite possible we’ll end the year with Wetherholt and Sal Stewart as the NL ROY favorites. Wetherholt could potentially double Stewart’s WAR and Stewart could potentially double Wetherholt’s RBI total.

Fermín doubled, singled and drew three walks while also adding his fourth stolen base of the season. The 27-year-old has provided some value of the bench, but he shouldn’t be on a fantasy one — and certainly not in a starting lineup — with a slash of .243/.311/.364.

The Cardinals beat the Yankees 3-1 on Wednesday with all three runs coming in the fifth inning and JJ Wetherholt was in the middle of all of it. Wetherholt’s two-run double off Yankees starter Will Warren gave St. Louis a 2-0 lead before he came around to score on Ivan Herrera’s double to make it 3-0. Wetherholt is hitting .248 with a .739 OPS and 43 RBI on the year.

It appears to be nothing more than a routine day off for the dynamic 23-year-old rookie second baseman who has been a fixture atop the Cardinals’ lineup for nearly every game this season. Jose Fermin will start in his place and will bat seventh against Blue Jays’ right-hander Max Scherzer on Sunday afternoon in Toronto.