3 St. Louis Cardinals prospects deserving of promotions

We are into May, which now means the Minor League baseball season is approaching a full month of game action. The sample sizes become a little harder to ignore, and some players are quickly standing out to be above the level they are currently playing at.

The Cardinals have had an enormous amount of bad luck in regards to the injury bug striking their top prospects list. With numerous names being sidelined throughout the system, there have still been quite a few bright spots around the organization that are right on the cusp of a call-up to the next level.

JJ Wetherholt

Wetherholt has done everything one could ask for on the field since being drafted 7th overall in the MLB Draft last July.

On offense, the West Virginia product has amassed an .810 OPS over 46 games since turning professional. During that span, he has also added 3 home runs, 28 RBIs, 24 walks, and 24 strikeouts. An impressive note is that he has walked as many times as he has struck out so far in his young career.

On defense, the 22-year-old has logged 280 innings at shortstop and another 10 innings at second base. Over that span, he has only committed 3 errors, all at shortstop. He has shown the ability to field the position well, and there should not be any talk about him moving off the position anytime soon.

While missing over a week of games due to a pretty serious stomach bug, Wetherholt has still posted a .300/.403/.417 slash line over 17 games. What is even more impressive about his numbers to date is the fact he started off the season 0-14 and has rebounded in a big way. While it is still a small sample size at the Double-A level, he has proved he can hang at the level, and the Cardinals should be aggressive and get him up to Triple-A sooner than later.

Travis Honeyman

Honeyman is not being tested as well as he should be at the Low-A level. A former 3rd-round pick in 2023, the 23-year-old was a polished college hitter from Boston College who at times during his college tenure, looked the part of a first-round pick.

However, Honeyman struggled with staying off the injured list in 2024 and failed to put together a long stretch on the field, as he appeared in only 20 games between the FCL and Low-A levels. Even with the small sample size, he still carried a .343/.415/.493 line with 11 extra-base hits during that span.

Now into the 2025 season, Honeyman has almost matched his games played total from last season, as he has appeared in 15 games for Low-A Palm Beach. So far this year, he is carrying an .898 OPS and has collected at least 1 hit in 11 of his 15 games.

With health an obvious factor, Honeyman needs to be pushed up to High-A to be challenged more, as he is turning 24 this season. A polished college hitter has no business being at the level, but it is understandable why the Cardinals took it slow after the injuries last season.

Josh Kross

Kross is the sleeper name on this list, but he is here for good reason. After being drafted in the 6th round of the 2024 MLB draft, Kross has done nothing but mash the baseball. In fact, he won the Cardinals' Player Development Player of the Month for his success at the plate over the first month.

The 22-year-old has split about even time at catcher and at first base this season for Palm Beach. While his future might be a full-time switch to first base, it is intriguing to have the position versatility moving forward as he progresses through the minors. A promotion to High-A Peoria is sooner rather than later, after the first month he just had.