Enough.
St. Louis Cardinals’ No. 1 prospect JJ Wetherholt doesn’t need to check any more boxes in order to prove he’s ready for the big leagues. With the call-up target date to preserve rookie eligibility already past and an obvious need for infielders on their roster, the Cardinals don’t have an excuse to keep Wetherholt in Triple-A a second longer.
The 22-year-old shortstop began his 2025 season tormenting opposing pitchers in Double-A Springfield, a notorious hitter’s haven, posting an OPS of .891 with seven home runs in 62 games: fair enough, but everybody worth their salt rakes within the friendly confines of Hammons Field.
However, Wetherholt, MLB’s No. 6 overall prospect, elevated his game even further upon promotion to Triple-A, slashing .328/.413/.648 with 10 doubles and nine home runs in just 31 games played.
The Cardinals rest stagnant, 5.5 games out of the National League’s third Wild Card spot with 31 games to go, 3-7 in their last ten games as of the beginning of the day on Monday, Aug. 25. Worse still, three-quarters of St. Louis’ Opening Day infield is either on the injured list (Nolan Arenado and Brendan Donovan) or banged up amidst the grind of a 162 game season (Platinum Glove frontrunner Masyn Winn).
Not only could the Cardinals, whose team OPS of .702 ranks No. 23 in Major League Baseball, use a jolt from JJ Wetherholt’s bat. He could also fill plenty of holes with his glove after logging starts at second base, shortstop and even third base this season.
With President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak stepping down at the end of 2025 and heir apparent Chaim Bloom already tasked with overseeing the player development system — incidentally, the arm of the Cardinals’ organization that directly oversees decisions like call-ups — the time has come for St. Louis to show that they’re serious about competing, not upholding the status quo. That’s been the common refrain in recent seasons as apathy sinks in among the fanbase. After ranking No. 2 in MLB in attendance in 2022, the Cardinals are down to the No. 19 spot this season, a stunning fall from grace.
The Cardinals will begin a four game homestand against the hapless Pirates on Aug. 25 before travelling to face the Cincinnati Reds, the team directly ahead of them in the Wild Card standings, for a three game set. If they’re going to make a run instead of missing the playoffs for a third consecutive season, one would be hard pressed to find a better time to roll the dice.
JJ Wetherholt’s performance, the Cardinals’ immediate positional needs and their playoff hopes all indicate that the time is now for him to get the call to the big leagues.
There’s no reason to wait another second.
