Cardinals top prospect JJ Wetherholt makes Opening Day roster

[p]Wetherholt, 23, went 7-for-33 (.212) at the plate during Spring Training with two home runs, seven RBI, and two stolen bases. The former seventh overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft is the Cards' No. 1 prospect and is ranked No. 5 in the league. [/p][embed guid="882ca4c7-a518-446b-a6c0-6b0b3fe92ea9" url="https://x.com/dgoold/status/2036179520064049329?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]Wetherholt started the 2025 season in Double-A minor league ball, hitting .300 with seven home runs, 34 RBI, and 13 stolen bases in 62 games. He was promoted to Triple-A within the same season where he put up even better numbers, hitting .314 with 10 home runs, 29 RBI, and nine stolen bases in 47 games. [/p][p]After being drafted in 2024, Wetherholt still played in 29 games down in Single-A, hitting .295 with two home runs and 20 RBI. [/p][p]Now, he'll be starting for one of the most prestigious organizations in the sport who have been struggling as of late. They finished 2025 with a 78-84 record, missing the playoffs for the third straight season.[/p][p]St. Louis hasn't made it past the National League Wild Card since 2019, when they eventually got swept in the NL Championship Series by the eventual World Series champion Washington Nationals. [/p][p]The Cards' 2026 season will begin on March 26th against the Tampa Bay Rays.[/p]