St. Louis Cardinals top prospect JJ Wetherholt has earned a spot on the team's 2026 Opening Day roster, the club announced on Monday. The 23-year-old infielder, drafted seventh overall in 2024 out of West Virginia, is expected to start at second base and hit leadoff or second.
The Cardinals, entering a rebuilding phase for the 2026 season, welcomed Wetherholt to the major-league roster after a strong spring training. President of baseball operations Chaim Bloom confirmed the news to reporters on Monday. Opening Day is set for Thursday against the Tampa Bay Rays at 3:15 p.m. CT in St. Louis, where Wetherholt figures to pair with shortstop Masyn Winn up the middle defensively. Winn recorded 21 Outs Above Average in 2025, and Wetherholt has improved his second-base skills this spring, including backhanded plays to his right in Grapefruit League games. He primarily played shortstop in the minors but has versatility at third base as well. The lefty-swinging Wetherholt slashed .306/.421/.510 across Double-A (62 games) and Triple-A (47 games) last season, with 17 homers, 23 stolen bases, 28 doubles, and nearly equal walks and strikeouts in 496 plate appearances. MLB Pipeline ranks him as baseball's No. 5 prospect, while CBS Sports had him at No. 6. In 15 spring games, he hit .212/.386/.394 with two homers, seven RBI (second on the team), six runs, two steals, and nine walks (team lead), posting a .780 OPS. He shone in last week's Spring Breakout game against Nationals prospects, going 2-for-3 with a walk and two runs in a 9-8 win. Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol praised his approach: “[Wetherholt has the] ability to stay on the ball. He uses the whole field. He takes a professional at-bat... He craves what’s next for him.” Teammate Victor Scott II, a former college peer, added: “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.” Wetherholt enters as a National League Rookie of the Year favorite at +400 odds.