Cardinals Make JJ Wetherholt Decision Before Tigers Game

It marks the first time he’s been out of the starting lineup since making St. Louis’ Opening Day roster. 

Since debuting on Opening Day, the 23-year-old has a .280 batting average with seven hits, six runs, and four RBI in six games. He homered in his very first career at-bat, then delivered a walk-off in Game 2 against the Tampa Bay Rays. The Cardinals haven’t seen that type of production from a rookie in a long time. 

Wetherholt’s emergence matters well beyond the stat line. St. Louis entered 2026 in a full rebuild, trading away veterans like Nolan Arenado, Willson Contreras, and Brendan Donovan over the offseason to clear the way for the next generation. Wetherholt is supposed to be the centerpiece of what comes next. He tore through Double-A and Triple-A last season, slashing .306/.421/.510 with 17 home runs, 23 stolen bases across 109 games. 

The early returns suggest that the Cardinals were right to bet on him. He’s already drawing National League Rookie of the Year comparisons and fits the profile of a player who could anchor the Cardinals' lineup for years. His combination of speed, contact, and power gives the Cardinals something that they have been searching for: an offensive building block to develop around shortstop Masyn Winn. 

Wetherholt entered this season as one of the NL’s leading candidates for the Rookie of the Year award as St. Louis’ No. 1-ranked prospect. The Cardinals have been without a Rookie of the Year winner since 2001, when Albert Pujols won the award, a 25-year drought that Wetherholt is in a great spot to end. 

The left-on-left matchup with Valdez gives Marmol a clean reason to sit Wetherholt today, but expect him back in the lineup soon. Six games in, there’s no reason to read anything into one scheduled day off for a rookie who has looked every bit as ready as advertised.