Cardinals’ JJ Wetherholt Decision From All Angles

Wetherholt wore the No. 77 throughout Spring Training, but he will be wearing the No. 26 in the regular season. It's been expected throughout Spring Training that Wetherholt would make the team, now it is official.

With that being said, here is the fallout for the organization.

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JJ Wetherholt's Roster Spot
Wetherholt isn't on the Cardinals' 40-man roster yet, but the easiest solution will be moving him into the open spot left by young righty Tekoah Roby, who is being placed on the 60-Day Injured List. The Cardinals haven't officially announced the transaction, as of writing, but it would be the easiest way to get Wetherholt on the roster without having to remove another guy from the 40-man roster.

Cardinals' Infield
The expectation throughout camp so far has been that Alec Burleson would be at first base, Wetherholt would be at second base, Masyn Winn would be at shortstop and Nolan Gorman would be at third base. That remains the case. With Wetherholt in the mix officially, it at least fully confirms the right side of the infield.

Where Will JJ Wetherholt Hit In The Order?
Arguably, Wetherholt should be right at the top of the order on Opening Day. Wetherholt has a knack for getting on base and he's good on the base paths. In Spring Training he had a .386 on-base percentage and nine walks in 15 games played. In 138 games played down in the minors, Wetherholt logged a .418 on-base percentage. If he's at the top of the order, he'll give whoever is behind him plenty of chances to drive runs in. It should be Winn right behind him in the order at No. 2. The Cardinals easily could flip it and have Winn at No. 1 and Wetherholt at No. 2, but no matter what, Wetherholt should be at either of these spots.

Next Steps For Cardinals
At this point, the next steps for St. Louis are playing the games. The Cardinals already finalized the bullpen and rotation and with the announcement of Wetherholt making the big leagues, it was also shared that Thomas Saggese, José Fermín and Nathan Church all made the big league club as well to wrap up all of the big decisions. Now, all eyes are on March 26.