Apr 24, 2022; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; A view of St. Louis Cardinals players hats and gloves in the dugout during a game with the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: David Kohl-Imagn Images David Kohl-Imagn Images

Cardinals Call Up? St. Louis Pushed To Bring Star To Big League Roster

Originally posted on St. Louis Cardinals on SI
By Zach Pressnell | Last updated Aug 21, 2025 6:00 PM ET

The St. Louis Cardinals have been through a lot of ups and downs this season, and they find themselves just on the outside of the postseason picture as the calendar quickly approaches September.

At this point, it seems clear that the Cardinals are going to be rebuilding for the next few years. There are some veterans on the roster who need to be cleared off the team and the payroll. There are also some young prospects who need to be elevated to the big league level so they can showcase their talent and begin helping St. Louis.

MLB's Sam Dykstra and Jonathan Mayo recently suggested the Cardinals should elevate top prospect JJ Wetherholt to the big leagues for the final stretch of this season. The Cardinals have nothing to lose at this point.

JJ Wetherholt should be called up to St. Louis immediately

Rich Storry-Imagn Images

"St. Louis brass has indicated that, ahead of a 40-man roster crunch this winter, Wetherholt needn’t be rushed to the Majors, but the '24 seventh overall pick might force the club’s hand all the same," They wrote. "Wetherholt is hitting .310/.403/.670 with nine homers in 26 games since joining Triple-A Memphis, as he marries a disciplined approach with what could be at least above-average power. He’s also mixing in reps at third base to help his chances at finding a place in the Cardinals’ infield puzzle."

Wetherholt is one of the best prospects in all of baseball. Since being elevated to Triple-A, he's only gotten better. His power numbers are off the charts over his last month or so of games. He's also showing the ability to play anywhere across the infield, which would benefit the Cardinals quite a bit as they look to replace Nolan Arenado at the hot corner.

At this point, there's nothing to lose. Having Wetherholt in the big leagues would help his growth as a baseball player and it would likely help the Cardinals win games. When a team has a prospect as talented as the young infielder is, the lineup should be built around him. It's beyond time we see Wetherholt make his Cardinals debut.

This article first appeared on St. Louis Cardinals on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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