Feb 16, 2026; Jupiter, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals infielder JJ Wetherholt (77) during spring training workouts at Roger Dean Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images

Cardinals’ JJ Wetherholt 'Very Close' to Spring Training Goal

Originally posted on St. Louis Cardinals on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Feb 17, 2026 1:00 PM ET

Who will be in the infield for the St. Louis Cardinals when they take the field on Opening Day at Busch Stadium on March 26?

The two easiest names to mention are Masyn Winn and Alec Burleson. Winn is the organization's shortstop of the future. If healthy, he will be planted at shortstop on Opening Day and should be for years to come. When the Cardinals traded Willson Contreras away, the move opened up first base for Burleson. These two are the easiest. Set it and forget.

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Second base and third base are a bit more up in the air, although there have been early signs. The Cardinals traded third baseman Nolan Arenado away and 2025 All-Star Brendan Donovan, who occupied second base. In early drills, Nolan Gorman has been spotted at third base and No. 1 prospect JJ Wetherholt at second base. Nothing is finalized. The club hasn't even started Spring Training games yet. But this would at least be an intriguing configuration with massive upside.

The Cardinals phenom has a shot at making the team

Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images

Wetherholt specifically is the guy to watch. The 23-year-old has a legit shot at making the team out of camp and isn't shying away from the fact that that's exactly what his goal is, as transcribed by Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

"Now that I'm here this year, the goal is to hopefully make the team but, you know, just go out there and compete,” Wetherholt said, as transcribed by Goold.

Cardinals manager has had nothing but praise for Wetherholt as well and noted that he's "very close" to getting the call to the big leagues.

"Obviously, the skillset is there where we've talked about that part of it quite a bit," Marmol said. "He was challenged with being able to do some things defensively. He has worked very hard at that as well. His overall games is pretty elite. The most impressive thing is his personality and overall demeanor and how he handles himself. The way he communicates is something I've really enjoyed. You put that together with his skillset and it's pretty neat. He's very close. He's going to be competing for a position with us. He'll have every opportunity to do so. We're not going to give anything away this year."

Wetherholt has a path to accomplishing his goal. Now, he just has to show what he can do on the field.

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

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