Inside The Cardinals

Cardinals’ First Spring Lineup Turns Heads Thanks to JJ Wetherholt

The St. Louis Cardinals will play a baseball game on Saturday with JJ Wetherholt in the lineup.
Patrick McAvoy|
Feb 16, 2026; Jupiter, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals infielder JJ Wetherholt (77) during spring training workouts at Roger Dean Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images
Feb 16, 2026; Jupiter, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals infielder JJ Wetherholt (77) during spring training workouts at Roger Dean Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images | Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images

In this story:

St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals will play a real baseball game on Saturday afternoon and it's going to be exciting.

It's important to note that Saturday's contest against the Washington Nationals is the first of many Spring Training games. We're going to see players come in and out of the lineup and a lot more will be made about Spring Training stats than there probably should be. But, with all of that being said, baseball really is back. And when the Cardinals face the Nationals on Saturday, No. 1 prospect JJ Wetherholt will be in the lineup hitting fifth and playing second base.

If you like our content, choose Sports Illustrated as a preferred source on Google.

Expect to see a lot more of him throughout Spring Training. In the first game of Spring Training, he'll be hitting fifth, but that may not be the only spot we see him in. Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reported that Wetherholt has been in the discussion to be a leadoff man for the club.

"As part of a wider-ranging discussion about lineup construction with Marmol this morning, JJ Wetherholt’s name was bandied about as an option at leadoff. If you are still insisting that he will not be on the opening day roster, it is long past time to realign your expectations."

The odds certainly seem to be in Wetherholt's favor as the Spring Training games kick off. Now, does that guarantee him a spot on the big league roster? No. There isn't a guarantee, of course. But all of the signs so far in Spring Training point to the 23-year-old being the team's Opening Day second baseman in March.

Saturday will be a great way for the fanbase to see the young slugger in action in a much lower-stakes contest than Opening Day. But, again, this is just the first of many times the fanbase will see him this spring.

Opening Day isn't for another month, but it's going to be a good day for the organization on Saturday.

More MLB: Cardinals ‘Closing In’ on Gold Glove Signing: Full Breakdown

Loading recommendations... Please wait while we load personalized content recommendations

Published
Patrick McAvoy
PATRICK MCAVOY

Patrick McAvoy's experiences include local and national sports coverage at the New England Sports Network with a focus on baseball and basketball. Outside of journalism, Patrick also is pursuing an MBA at Brandeis University. After quickly rising as one of the most productive writers on the site, he expanded his reach to write for Baseball Essential, a national baseball site in Sports Illustrated Media Group. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding Inside The Cardinals, please reach out to Scott Neville: nevilles@merrimack.edu

Home/St. Louis Cardinals News