Aug 11, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Miles Mikolas (39) walks off the field after he was removed from the game against the Colorado Rockies during the seventh inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

Cardinals' Hopes Still Alive As Top Prospect Call-Up Looms Large

Originally posted on St. Louis Cardinals on SI
By Zach Pressnell | Last updated Aug 13, 2025 12:00 PM ET

The St. Louis Cardinals don't have the roster to win the World Series this year and the front office knows it. That's part of the reason why they traded Phil Maton, Ryan Helsley, and Steven Matz at the trade deadline.

This trio of moves should have seen the Cardinals plummet down the National League wild card standings, but it didn't. The New York Mets have struggled to win games, which has left the door wide open for the Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds. But the Reds haven't captured this opportunity yet, either.

Going into Wednesday, the Cardinals are four games behind the Mets for the final NL wild card spot. They're two games behind the Reds. At this point, St. Louis could go on a quick winning streak and take control of the final wild car spot and it's not as out of the realm of possibilities as it seems.

FanSided's Zachary Rotman recently suggested that top prospect JJ Wetherholt could be the key to the Cardinals making a postseason run.

JJ Wetherholt might be the key to a late postseason run for Cardinals

Rich Storry-Imagn Images

"Yes, the St. Louis Cardinals sold at the deadline, but they're still just 3.5 games back of a playoff spot as of this writing," Rotman wrote. "The odds are obviously against them to make it, but they're absolutely in the race given the Mets' struggles. Promoting a guy like JJ Wetherholt, MLB Pipeline's No. 6 overall prospect, could give them the boost they need to steal the final Wild Card spot in the NL.

"Whether inserting him into the lineup means benching a veteran like Nolan Arenado or a young player like Jordan Walker remains to be seen, but it would not be shocking to see the Cardinals give Wetherholt, a potential franchise cornerstone, a chance to contribute in a pennant race sooner rather than later given how he's played."

Wetherholt could be the spark that the Cardinals desperately need down the stretch. He's a talented enough player on the field to provide the spark to the offense if the Cardinals slot him in at second base every day. But the bigger impact might be with the team's energy.

Calling Wetherholt up to the big leagues would be sending a message to the Cardinals that the team is ready to make a push. At the very least, they're ready to compete next year. The energy would go way up and the city would be buzzing.

It's not the most likely outcome of them all, but there's a real chance the Cardinals could close in on the Mets and Reds in the postseason race.

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

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