St. Louis Cardinals phenom JJ Wetherholt has made the team's big league roster.
The St. Louis Cardinals officially are rolling with No. 1 prospect JJ Wetherholt on the Opening Day roster to kick off the 2026 Major League Baseball season.Wetherholt wore the No. 77 throughout Spring Training, but he will be wearing the No.
26 in the regular season. It's been expected throughout Spring Training that Wetherholt would make the team, now it is official.There's a lot to like about St. Louis Feb 17, 2026; Jupiter, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals infielder JJ Wetherholt . Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images | Jim Rassol-Imagn ImagesWetherholt isn't on the Cardinals' 40-man roster yet, but the easiest solution will be moving him into the open spot left by young righty Tekoah Roby, who isThe Cardinals haven't officially announced the transaction, as of writing, but it would be the easiest way to get Wetherholt on the roster without having to remove another guy from the 40-man roster.The expectation throughout camp so far has been that Alec Burleson would be at first base, Wetherholt would be at second base, Masyn Winn would be at shortstop and Nolan Gorman would be at third base. That remains the case. With Wetherholt in the mix officially, it at least fully confirms the right side of the infield.of the order on Opening Day. Wetherholt has a knack for getting on base and he's good on the base paths. Inhe had a .386 on-base percentage and nine walks in 15 games played. In 138 games played down in the minors, Wetherholt logged a .418 on-base percentage. If he's at the top of the order, he'll give whoever is behind him plenty of chances to drive runs in. It should be Winn right behind him in the order at No. 2. The Cardinals easily could flip it and have Winn at No. 1 and Wetherholt at No. 2, but no matter what, Wetherholt should be at either of these spots.At this point, the next steps for St. Louis are playing the games. The Cardinals already finalized the bullpen and rotation and with the announcement of Wetherholt making the big leagues, it was also shared that Thomas Saggese, José Fermín and Nathan Church all made the big league club as well to wrap up all of the big decisions. Now, all eyes are on March 26.Patrick McAvoy's experiences include local and national sports coverage at the New England Sports Network with a focus on baseball and basketball. Outside of journalism, Patrick received an MBA at Brandeis University. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding St. Louis Cardinals On SI, please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@moreviewsmedia.com
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