Rebuilding is never fun, and with the Cardinals entering one for the first time in decades, there hasn’t been much for St. Louis fans to get excited about. Louis are happy about it. Businesses have sailed Wilson Contreras, Sonny Grayagain Nolan Arenado they were as much about getting money off the books as they were about bringing in serious talent. Even with Brendan Donovan The trade, which received dozens of picks and prospects, is unlikely to impact the big league club in 2026. One thing fans can be excited about in the short term is high hopes. JJ Wetherholt.
The 7th overall pick in the 2024 draft has done well in that top slot since proball entered. After a strong cup of coffee at Single-A in his draft year, Wetherholt’s performance exploded in 2025 when he slashed .306/.421/.510 in 109 games split between the Double-A and Triple-A levels. That would be impressive for almost any prospect, but it is especially so for Wetherholt, who is only 22 years old and adds strong infield defense and impressive baserunning to his well-rounded game. That package is enough to make him a consensus top 10 player in the sport entering this season.
The Cardinals have made it clear that they plan to give their top talent a chance to come out of camp in the big leagues. He just ripped his first homer of the spring this morning, taking Devin Williams deep to dead center (video courtesy of Tim Kanak). A spot on the opening day roster should be much easier to come by now that Donovan has been dealt to Seattle, but Wetherholt will still have competition from other players on the roster. Nolan Gorman again Masyn Winn count of locking third base and shortstop, left second base in a race between Wetherholt, Thomas Saggese, Jose Ferminagain Ramon Urias.
Since the Cardinals do not expect to contend in 2026, the main thing for them is to see what they have with their young players. Urias, 32 in June, is on a one-year contract and is more of a bench strength than an impact addition. From the point of view of St. Louis, it makes sense for Urias to wait in the wings to take over some space in the infield in case of an injury or a young player struggling to perform. Looking at the other three options, Wetherholt is the top choice and arguably has the highest floor.
Fermin was the best hitter for the Cardinals in 30 games last year but has struggled in his three years in the big league. He seems best suited for a support role. Saggese, 24 in April, hit just .258/.299/.342 in 82 games last year while playing average defense between shortstop, third base, and second base. Maybe he can take a step forward with more bat practice and more big league experience, but his chances of making the roster are clouded by the fact that he’s been awful defensively (-5 OAA) while playing second base.
That appears to leave Wetherholt with a clear path toward starting second base for the Cardinals, but there are other things to keep in mind. If Wetherholt doesn’t start the year on the Opening Day roster, the Cardinals could squeeze in an extra year of service from their future star. Maybe that’s reason enough for the Cardinals to go with someone like Saggese at second base for the first few weeks, especially given the fact that Wetherholt spent just 16.6% of his defensive innings against minor leaguers at second base. It could be argued that getting him more reps on the keystone would be beneficial. On the other hand, Wetherholt could get a full year of service time either, if he finishes in the top two in the NL Rookie of the Year voting. Parting with him also opens the Cards up for future draft picks through MLB’s prospect promotion program.
How do MLBTR readers expect the Cardinals to handle their second camp battle? Will Wetherholt be forced into the big league roster? Will they instead give someone like Saggese or Fermin a first look? Although none of the young trio will take the job with enough confidence to stop St. Have your say in the poll below:
