Heading into Opening Day, the St. Louis Cardinals are poised to have Masyn Winn as their starting shortstop. After some early spring training injury concerns, Winn is on track to start gearing up for the regular season.

Winn returned to full activities on Friday after missing time due to a back injury. While he won't play in the Cardinals' Grapefruit League opener, Winn is making steady progress and seems eager to get back onto the diamond, via Daniel Guerrero of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

“It's kind of something, not that we expected, but just something that we knew it happened in the past, it might happen now,” Winn said. “We were prepared for it. We got on top of it quick. I think they were more so just being cautious. I probably could have swung the last few days, but they just wanted to make sure I'm feeling good and 100% when these games start.”

Winn got his first taste of major league action in 2023, appearing in 37 games. He struggled to find his footing, hitting .172 with two home runs, 12 RBI and two stolen bases. However, Winn was dominant during his time at the Triple-A level. In 105 games, the shortstop hit .288 with 18 home runs, 61 RBI and 17 stolen bases.

Masyn Winn's blend of power and speed has St. Louis intrigued about his potential major league impact. Now getting past his worrying back injury, Winn can focus on locking down his spot at shortstop. As the Cardinals look to bounce back from their disappointing 2023 season, there will be pressure on Winn to succeed immediately.