Sep 5, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A detailed view of the hat and glove of St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Nolan Gorman (not pictured) before a game against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images Brett Davis-Imagn Images

JJ Wetherholt Update: What They're Saying About Cardinals Phenom

Originally posted on St. Louis Cardinals on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Aug 21, 2025 11:00 AM ET

By now, you’ve heard all about St. Louis Cardinals phenom JJ Wetherholt.

He’s taking the league by storm. Wetherholt has torn the cover off the ball down in the minors and is now one step away from the big leagues down with the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds.

Each day, someone calls for the Cardinals to call on the St. Louis to make the decision to promote Wetherholt. Most recently, it was Greg Amsinger of MLB Network.

"I'm going to call John Mozeliak right now and give him a suggestion," Amsinger said while putting a phone up to his ear. "'Mo, it's Amsinger here, I know I'm leaving you a voicemail, for the month of September when you call up somebody, can you call up JJ Wetherholt, please?' JJ Wetherholt has been incredibly good. Soaring through the minor leagues.

The Cardinals have one of the best prospects in baseball right now in JJ Wetherholt

Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images

"Top (7) pick just last year. Power from the left side. You need a second baseman, Brendan Donovan injured hamstring on the IL. Look at the numbers. Hitting .303 with 16 bombs. 64 runs scored. On-base percentage at .419. He is a shot in the arm. You're hovering around .500, you need a spark. Bring up JJ Wetherholt for your September call-up."

Everything that Amsinger said is true. Wetherholt would be a massive addition. And what he said that some others haven't is that September would be a solid time to make this decision. There are people out there who have been calling for the Cardinals to bring Wetherholt up now or even weeks ago. Then, you get into rookie status and contracts and other complicated topics.

If the Cardinals were to call up Wetherholt on September 1st, then the team would get a spark for the final few weeks of the season and surely could find a way to make it work. The team is having trouble finding at-bats for everyone right now. Adding Wetherholt would make things more difficult, but he's also one of the top prospects in baseball. If there is a time to make a change, it is not right now. But, come September, it would make more sense.

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

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