Following the Brendan Donovan trade this week, it opens up avenues in the St. Louis Cardinals’ roster. The front office’s main intent going into the 2026 season was to make the roster more youthful. With Donovan now in a Seattle Mariners uniform, it is all but certain that the Cardinals’ top prospect, JJ Wetherholt, will be on the Opening Day roster. There has been speculation on where the organization will play the young phenom. Will he start at third base or second base? One thing that is known is that he will not be playing his primary position of shortstop with Gold Glove winner Masyn Winn at the helm. No matter what position he plays, the Wetherholt era has begun for the Cardinals.
The JJ Wetherholt Era Begins for the Cardinals
Minor League Success
There is no doubt that the organization and the fans are excited about Wetherholt’s arrival. The Cardinals took him with the 7th overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft. He is currently ranked as the Cardinals’ No. 1 prospect in the organization and MLB Pipeline’s No. 5 overall prospect. In 138 games across the minor leagues, Wetherholt has done nothing but succeed. In 513 at-bats, he had a .304 average, a .416 OBP, a .562 slugging, and a .905 OPS. He also had 19 home runs, 79 RBI, and 25 stolen bases. While it is unknown if Wetherholt’s talents will translate to the Major League level, he has proven all he needs to in the minors.
Key to the Future
The Cardinals organization is currently in a rebuilding stage. While still only 23 years old, Wetherholt is a key to the Cardinals’ future. They have been searching for their franchise pillar, and Wetherholt has the skill set to be that. He is a true “five-tool” talent who can play multiple positions around the infield. He may not be as versatile as Donovan was, but the versatility he does have will bode well for the Cardinals in the future.
“He’s exactly what you want in a rebuild.”
On Episode 96, @DanielHinkamp gave his reasoning as to why JJ Wetherholt is arguably the most intriguing St. Louis Cardinal coming into the 2026 season.#ForTheLou #LouSportsTalk #STLCards pic.twitter.com/bZUfK5LCr2
— The Lou Sports Talk (@lousportstalk_) February 1, 2026
Now, the Cardinals do not want to rush him into the big leagues. However, as stated before, Wetherholt has proven all he has had to in the minors. The Cardinals thought they had this type of player with Jordan Walker, but it hasn’t panned out with him just yet. They believe Wetherholt to be a different situation. Yes, Wetherholt has gone through a position change, but not as major a change as Walker did. With how the Cardinals are viewing the 2026 season, Wetherholt and other young Cardinals are going to get the chance to prove themselves.
Welcome to the Show
Although it is not official, it should be the general expectation to see Wetherholt on the Opening Day roster. There may be some “growing pains” at first, but that happens with many rookies getting their first chance at the major league level. Even if there are signs of struggle at first, the Cardinals won’t be giving up on Wetherholt. He has the chance to be a real franchise player for the organization. And fans across Cardinal Nation and the MLB world should be highly anticipating Wetherholt’s debut.
Main Photo Credit: Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images
