JJ Wetherholt's return gives the Cardinals rookie one last shot at major award

As the 2026 season heads to an end for the St. Louis Cardinals, there is some positive news for the last 10 games of the season. After missing the previous two weeks due to right wrist tendinitis, the Cardinals will welcome rookie infielder JJ Wetherholt back into the lineup for the home stretch.

Wetherholt's return to the active roster will have no impact on the Cardinals' ability to make the postseason this season, there is something to work towards for the 24-year-old. He looks to put a strong end of his first year in the bigs together, prove his wrist is fully healed, and also see if a late offensive tear can get him back into the coversation for Rookie of the Year.

An offensive outburst in JJ Wetherholt's final 10 games could give the Cardinals their first Rookie of the Year since 2001

With one of the most anticipated debuts in recent St. Louis history, Wetherholt made an immediate impact in his first game. The rookie infielder homered in his first major league game and then followed that up with a walk-off hit in the second game of the year. Since then, he has been signed to an extension and looked every part of the player to build around for the future. His strong season put him at the forefront of the Rookie of the Year award and he looked poised to be the first Cardinal player to win the award since Cardinals Hall of Famer Albert Pujols.

Unfortunately, Wetherholt's offense fell off sharply after the All-Star break as he hit just .201 with eight extra-base hits and an increased strikeout rate. The injury seemingly popped out of nowhere for Wetherholt, but that could be attributed to his second-half struggles. While his spot as the leadoff hitter puts less value in homers and RBIs, Cincinnati Reds rookie Sal Stewart stayed consistent and healthy while moving to the front of the Rookie of the Year conversation.

September has not been kind to Stewart, either, so there is a slight door open for Wetherholt to get back into the mix as the league's top rookie. The competition is no longer just between those two as Nolan McLean, Carson Benge, and TJ Rumfield have all been valuable first-year players for their own teams. If the rest and rehab truly did the trick for Wetherholt, then he could vault back into the mix but he has plenty of hurdles to jump.

Wetherholt will not be able to match the power or run production of the other names in front of him, but he can get on a little hot streak to get his batting average back up to expected levels and set the tone for the Cardinals offense. Like his teammate Masyn Winn, a lot of Wetherholt's value is attributed to his next level defense, so adding a little more offensive value would not hurt his case for the yearly award.

With only 10 games to go until the conclusion of the season, Wetherholt will have to go on a tear to make up for his second half slump and lost time with the injury. Even if he does not end up winning the award, getting him back and healthy should cause more positive momentum for the future.

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