Cardinals Top Prospect JJ Wetherholt Earns Spot on Opening Day Roster

JJ Wetherholt has made the Cardinals' Opening Day roster, with president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom passing the news to reporters, including Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat. The 23-year-old, a middle infielder drafted seventh overall in 2024 out of West Virginia, is ranked as baseball's No. 5 prospect by MLB Pipeline and will skip any further time in the minors to open the 2026 season in St. Louis.

Wetherholt figures to be the starting second baseman for Opening Day on Thursday against the Rays at 3:15 p.m. CT and is expected to hit leadoff or bat second behind shortstop Masyn Winn. His defense at shortstop was considered good enough for him to stay there as a big leaguer, but he also played some second and third base during his minor league tenure, giving St. Louis options as the season progresses.

The statistical case for Wetherholt's promotion is hard to argue against. He split his time between Double-A and Triple-A last season, making 496 plate appearances. His 14.5% walk rate was excellent and nearly as high as his 14.7% strikeout rate. He produced a combined .306/.421/.510 batting line, which translated to a 154 wRC+, and stole 23 bases on the year. That near-identical walk and strikeout rate is the kind of discipline that rarely shows up in a player just two years removed from college. Across a broader 138-game sample that includes his time at Low-A, he hit .306/.421/.510 with 17 home runs and 23 stolen bases at the upper minor league levels, with some sources crediting 19 home runs when including his Low-A games.

Spring training only reinforced what the numbers already said. His nine walks through the final week of camp were tied for the team lead, and his seven RBIs ranked second most on the club. He posted a .780 OPS across 15 spring games while batting .212 with two home runs, numbers that tell the same story: a hitter who controls the strike zone before he controls the ball. In Jupiter back on Feb. 27, Wetherholt watched a solo home run clear the fence in the fourth inning of a spring game against the New York Mets, one of the sharper images from a camp full of them.

"He will help [the Cardinals] a lot," outfielder and former college teammate Victor Scott II said. "He is a guy who can get on base, hit his share of home runs, play some good defense and run a little bit. He is an all-around really good player. To see him grow in the big leagues and become JJ Wetherholt will be fun to watch."

The defensive alignment around Wetherholt also gives the Cardinals reason for optimism. Masyn Winn is one of the best defensive shortstops in the majors and posted 21 Outs Above Average in 2025, meaning the up-the-middle combination St. Louis is assembling ranks among the more intriguing in the National League.

There is also a front-office layer to this decision. A corresponding move will be necessary to open a roster spot for Wetherholt, with outfielder Nelson Velázquez assigned to Triple-A Memphis, while infielders Thomas Saggese and José Fermín and outfielder Nathan Church will also break camp with the club. Beyond the transaction mechanics, the Cardinals preserved something potentially more valuable by not holding Wetherholt back: the Prospect Promotion Incentive. Because he is a consensus top-100 prospect, if Wetherholt accrues enough time on the major league roster to earn a full service year and wins Rookie of the Year or finishes in the top three of MVP voting during his pre-arbitration seasons, St. Louis would net an extra draft pick under the current collective bargaining framework.

He enters the season as one of the favorites to win the National League Rookie of the Year award, a race that will generate storylines all summer. For now, the Cardinals have their answer at second base, and the minor leagues have one fewer reason to watch the Memphis Redbirds.