Predicting Cardinals' official corresponding roster move for JJ Wetherholt's arrival

The St. Louis Cardinals officially made JJ Wetherholt their Opening Day second baseman yesterday, and that means a corresponding 40-man roster move must be made prior to Thursday's season opener against the Tampa Bay Rays.

The Cardinals have done a much better job managing the edges of their 40-man roster this offseason, but there are still a few candidates that they could part ways with and be okay, as well as a potential 60-day injured list stint they could opt for to not have to pass any players through waivers.

3 options the Cardinals could consider to free up a 40-man roster spot for JJ Wetherholt

Option 1: Place OF Lars Nootbaar on the 60-day injured list

The cleanest way for the Cardinals to free up a 40-man roster spot and not potentially lose a player through waivers is by placing outfielder Lars Nootbaar on the 60-day injured list.

This is something the Cardinals are considering currently, as if Nootbaar's timetable is longer than a month away, it may just be best to have him go on the 60-day IL and kick the can down the road a bit on making a 40-man roster move. But if Nootbaar is able to come back before mid-May, this doesn't make a ton of sense. The Cardinals can only backdate his IL stint to Opening Day, so he would be out through at least the month of May if he were placed on the 60-day IL.

Option 2: Designate INF Cesar Prieto for assignment

Acquired in the Jack Flaherty trade at the 2023 trade deadline from the Baltimore Orioles, Prieto had a productive campaign with Memphis in 2025, posting a 116 wRC+ on a .300/.363/.452 slash line. He does turn 27 years old in May and has only had a cup of coffee in St. Louis, so I really don't see a long-term future for him with the Cardinals.

The Cardinals currently have seven players on the 40-man roster who could play over him when it comes to middle infield reps, and names like Ramon Mendoza, Brody Moore, and Noah Mendlinger could certainly provide depth if the Cardinals were hit with a ton of injuries.

Prieto is someone I would expect to pass through waivers, and I believe the Cardinals would like to hang onto him, but it's not a huge deal if he were claimed by another club.

Option 3: Designate RHP Ryan Fernandez or LHP Nick Raquet for assignment

If the Cardinals want to hold onto Prieto and don't place Nootbaar on the 60-day IL, they could pass one of their relievers through waivers, with Ryan Fernandez and Nick Raquet seeming like the top options.

Fernandez was excellent for the Cardinals in 2024 as a Rule 5 selection but struggled mightily in 2025, posting a 7.71 ERA in 32 games for St. Louis. His spring training performance hasn't been much better this year, and the Cardinals have a lot of reliever options they can turn to right now aside from Fernandez.

The Cardinals are a bit thin when it comes to left-handed reliever options, but with the emergence of Packy Naughton as of late, Nick Raquet could be someone they pass through waivers.

Prediction: Cardinals designate INF Cesar Prieto for assignment

Barring the Cardinals believing Nootbaar won't be back before the middle of May, I believe they will end up designating Prieto for assignment to clear the way for Wetherholt on the 40-man roster. There seems to be the most redundancy with Prieto's spot, and Wetherholt can slide right into his spot on the 40-man as he takes over as the Cardinals' starting second baseman come Opening Day.