JJ Wetherholt May Have Lost NL Rookie Of The Year, Chance At Cardinals History

St. Louis Cardinals middle infielder JJ Wetherholt has looked like the NL Rookie of the Year frontrunner for much of the 2026 MLB season.

A myriad of factors have recently knocked the 23-year-old from the top of the leaderboard though.

Wetherholt had a big first half, recording 13 home runs, 36 RBIs, nine stolen bases and a .259/.356/.399 slash line across 407 plate appearances covering 90 games before the All-Star break. The former seventh overall draft pick has stumbled to a .201/.313/.305 triple slash with just four home runs and 12 RBIs since then though over 179 plate appearances in 40 contests.

To make matters worse, Wetherholt landed on the 10-day injured list Sunday due to right wrist tendinitis.

The infielder's top competition for the end-of-season hardware for most of the campaign has been Cincinnati Reds All-Star corner first baseman Sal Stewart.

Though Wetherholt has the edge on defense, the Reds rookie has blown out his counterpart in many offensive categories this year.

Stewart entered Wednesday with 31 home runs, an MLB-high 105 RBIs, 12 stolen bases and a .268/.338/.489 slash line in 603 plate appearances covering 139 games.

Wetherholt is looking to become the Cardinals' first NL Rookie of the Year winner since Albert Pujols in 2001, but his chances are fading fast.

'Hard To Argue Against' Reds Star For NL Rookie Of The Year Award

Sep 1, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Reds first baseman Sal Stewart (27) scores on a sacrifice fly out hit by second baseman Juan Brito (not pictured) in the eighth inning against the San Diego Padres at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Wetherholt already secured one accolade in early August when he was named St. Louis' 2026 Heart and Hustle award winner.

He also recently cracked ESPN's "MLB Rank 2026 in-season update" top 50 players list, being placed 32nd.

MLB.com released its latest Rookie of the Year polls on Wednesday though and Stewart has overtaken Wetherholt for the No. 1 spot.

Stewart garnered 173 total points (including 24 first-place votes), while Wetherholt was second with 140 and 10, respectively.

"When a rookie pops 30+ homers and leads the Majors with a 105 RBIs at the end of August, it's hard to argue against him as the ROY frontrunner. In fact, every rookie to compile a 30-homer, 100-RBI season since the award began in 1947 has taken home the trophy," MLB.com reporter Jason Foster wrote. "Wetherholt was a ROY favorite for a bit, but has slipped a spot thanks not only to Stewart's exceptional play but also because of his own cooldown in August (.595 OPS for the month) and a wrist injury that's going to sideline him for the early part of September."

The soonest Wetherholt could be activated from the IL is Sept. 9.

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