Feb 27, 2026; Jupiter, Florida, USA; St. Louis Cardinals designated hitter JJ Wetherholt (77) rounds the bases after hitting a home run against the New York Mets during the fourth inning at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Cardinals Phenom JJ Wetherholt Embracing Roster Uncertainty

Originally posted on St. Louis Cardinals on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Mar 5, 2026 9:10 PM ET

It's hard not to be excited thinking about the future of the St. Louis Cardinals.

It's easy to get caught up in the last three seasons. Obviously, they didn't go as planned. There's no denying that fact. But as things stand, this club is building itself up nicely to have an exciting — and cost-controlled — next generation of potential stars on its hands. We've already seen what Masyn Winn, Alec Burleson and Iván Herrera can do. There are young guys all over the place on top of these three including Jordan Walker, Victor Scott II, Michael McGreevy and Matthew Liberatore, among others.

Plus, of course, the club's No. 1 prospect JJ Wetherholt, who appears to be significantly more likely than not to make his big league debut on Opening Day at 23 years old.

The Cardinals phenom sounds like a 10-year veteran

Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images

Wetherholt joined MLB Network on Thursday and clearly doesn't sound like the hype is getting to him yet as he talked about competing for a spot every day.

"You know, I don't know," Wetherholt said when asked to talk about his standing for the 2026 season. "But I do know that I'm here every day just competing. Trying to earn a spot on the team. And you know, that's what I hope for. It's been a ton of fun to get to practice with the guys I built relationships with last year, see everybody and just continue to see what the team will look like in the season. Just prepared for whatever and keep going out there every day and working hard."

"I'm competing, trying to earn a spot on the team. It's been a ton of fun, preparing for whatever and going out there every day working hard."@Cardinals top prospect and Spring Breakout participant JJ Wetherholt explains his outlook for the upcoming season and more. pic.twitter.com/grZLQs9cbC
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) March 5, 2026

Wetherholt has played in seven games so far in camp and is slashing .333/.579/.583 with one homer, four RBIs, seven walks and a 1.162 OPS.

At this point, it would be a pretty big shock if Wetherholt wasn't starting on Opening Day at second base. Now, there are a few weeks left to go until Opening Day and the team hasn't officially announced anything, but the future is bright and Wetherholt is a big reason why. Right now the Cardinals don't look like a playoff team on paper, but if Wetherholt can live up to the hype, that could change quickly.

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

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