Cardinals' top prospect still has to earn his spot on the 2026 roster

The Winter Meetings have been mostly talk at the start for the St. Louis Cardinals as fans waited for the team to make another move. The Cardinal faithful are not the only ones who are ready for a trade or two, as the organization has multiple players waiting for some clarity on their role for the 2026 season. Without a clear opening in the starting lineup for top prospect JJ Wetherholt, the top prospect is going to have to show his patience and versatility to make the big league squad.

JJ Wetherholt will not be handed anything going into the 2026 season

As the year comes to an end, it seems like MLB Pipeline's fifth-ranked prospect, JJ Wetherholt, is a lock to make the St. Louis Opening Day roster, but some clogs need to be cleared out in front of him. Wetherholt has played short, second, and third in his professional career and will need to show his ability to handle any of those positions while still maintaining his great offensive approach if he wants to be on the 26-man roster. Benjamin Hochman of the STL Post-Dispatch asked new President of Baseball Operations Chaim Bloom about the former first-round pick's chance at cracking the squad, and Bloom was honest about his expectations.

""I don't think it makes sense — and frankly, I don't think it's really fair to anybody else — just to hand JJ anything. And I think he knows that he wouldn’t expect anything.""

Chaim Bloom on Wetherholt

When speaking with Hochman, the new POBO was extremely complimentary of Wetherholt while also making sure to not guarantee anything in relation to the top prospect. The draft pick out of West Virginia University has passed every test thrown his way since his selection in 2024, but Bloom is not yet ready to guarantee him a 26-man roster spot. Part of the issue is because of the current roster mess not providing a clear starting opportunity, but once the Cardinals get back involved in the trade market, Wetherholt's path to playing time could become clearer. Currently, all of Brendan Donovan, Nolan Arenado, Nolan Gorman, Thomas Saggese, and Jose Fermin as guys that can play the same spots as Wetherholt, but it is expected that the Cardinals will trade at least two of those players and the remaining guys will be battling for a starting spot.

To go back to Bloom's thoughts on Wetherholt as a player, Bloom is excited about the infielder's potential and the ability he has shown on both sides of the ball. Wetherholt is going to have to stay flexible with his future primary position since Masyn Winn is not going anywhere at shortstop, and Bloom feels that will not be an issue for the youngster. He said he doesn't want to "want to put any limits of what he can do," but Wetherholt's approach at the plate has put him on the fast track to the bigs. Manager Oli Marmol also got in on the positive thoughts, saying that Wetherholt is an impressive player not just with his results, but with the intangibles including preparation and the mental game.

The entire article is worth a read, as both Chaim Bloom and Oli Marmol are clearly doing their best to stay realistic in their expectations, but it is hard not to get excited about the future of JJ Wetherholt. St. Louis Cardinals fans may not know where or when they are going to see the top prospect playing at Busch Stadium, but it is obvious that the entire organization is high on his future.