JJ Wetherholt makes his preference clear when it comes to his role with the Cardinals

JJ Wetherholt is coming, St. Louis Cardinals fans. It's a matter of how soon at this point.

With the Cardinals featuring Masyn Winn as their shortstop of the future, we know he won't be playing there on a regular basis. But with Brendan Donovan, Nolan Gorman, and Nolan Arenado taking most of the playing time at second and third base, figuring out where Wetherholt will play when he gets to St. Louis has been a bit of a challenge.

Fresh off an excellent Triple-A debut that saw him hit a triple in his first at-bat and follow that up with a home run and double during the Memphis Redbirds doubleheader, the conversation couldn't be any hotter in St. Louis right now, which is what made Wetherholt's appearance on KMOX today even more intriguing to Cardinals fans.

Wetherholt was asked by KMOX's Chris Rongey on "The Gashouse Gang" today if he was prepared to play anywhere, even if that meant a move to the outfield. Wetherholt started out his answer by confirming that he is most comfortable playing at shortstop or second base because that's where he has mostly played in his career, but then he did give credence to something fans and media have been hoping would be possible in the rest of his answer.

"I genuinely don't care where I play, I just want to play," Wetherholt said. "I've played some outfield in my past, haven't done a ton of work there lately, but that's something I wouldn't be opposed to at all. You're probably not going to see me at first or catcher obviously, but anywhere else I think is fair game, and at the end of the day, I just want to compete and try to help teams win, so I'll go wherever."

JJ Wetherholt is willing to play a new position if that means he gets into the Cardinals' lineup

While they joked back and forth about how you're not going to hear a young player ever say I won't play anywhere, Wetherholt did continue on by saying that his main goal is being someone who can hit, and he knows that if he does that, he'll find his spot in a lineup and will play wherever they ask him to as long as he gets to be in the lineup. It didn't just sound like some peppy answer from a prospect to say the right things; it was a guy who knows that his bat will carry him, and he has the defensive chops to play anywhere he is needed. Some guys really do prefer to play at a specific position to maximize their contractual value or because of their comfort with that position, but clearly Wetherholt just wants to be able to hit every day, and he'll make sure he holds up his end of the bargain defensively.

You can check out that interview below.

Wetherholt also mentioned in the interview getting reps at third base in Memphis, so while we don't know if the Cardinals will actually give Wetherholt time in the outfield as well, we do know they are opening up his experiences soon to help him have more chances to play when he gets to St. Louis.

Second base has long been the expected position for Wetherholt in the minds of most Cardinals media and fans, but it is fair to wonder if moving Donovan off the position is wise. He's been one of the best defensive second basemen in baseball this year, and while they shouldn't stop playing him at multiple positions, he does seem to provide his best defense at that position.

If Arenado is traded this offseason, that would open up third base, but is that a position they want Nolan Gorman to man more often as well? Now that it seems like Ivan Herrera is destined to be a corner outfielder or designated hitter in the future, Gorman couldn't just be seen as their DH going forward.

Many, including myself, have wondered if Wetherholt could have a future in the outfield because of all of those factors. The Cardinals seem to have the least amount of certainty long-term when it comes to that group, and Wetherholt's athleticism should translate out there. The real conversation in my eyes is whether or not he can play center field, as we've recently seen Jackson Merrill make the change from shortstop to center field going into his rookie year to get into the Padres lineup. Could Wetherholt do the same?

We'll see how much the Cardinals experiment with Wetherholt's defensive position in the coming weeks. If I were them, I'd want to see what he looks like in the outfield right now, and if he is able to make that transition, it opens up a world of possibilities for their roster long-term.