Cardinals Top Prospect Already Turning Heads As Call-Up Looms

The St. Louis Cardinals don't have a lot to be excited about this season. They're seemingly waving the white flag on the year, despite only being a handful of games out of the final wild card spot. With the New York Mets plummeting down the standings, it might come back to look bad on the Cardinals for selling at the trade deadline.

Speaking of selling, the Cardinals didn't land much in return for the three pitchers they traded last month. The return for closer Ryan Helsley was decent, but it certainly wasn't what the Cardinals were expected to land.

At this point, top prospect JJ Wetherholt is the prized possession that Cardinals fans are clinging to down the stretch. He's looked even better than advertised since his promotion to Triple-A.

Josh Jacobs of Redbird Rants recently discussed Wetherholt as a dominant prospect following his surge up Baseball America's top-100 prospect list.

JJ Wetherholt takes massive jump up latest prospect rankings

St. Louis Cardinals infielder JJ Wetherhol — Jul 12, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; National League infielder JJ Wetherholt (26) of the St. Louis Cardinals rounds the bases during the second inning against American League at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

"Wetherholt was the presumed number one overall pick in 2024 prior to his hamstring injury that year, which caused him to slide in the MLB Draft," Jacobs wrote. "But so far in his professional career, all Wetherholt has done is hit, and he's doing so with the kind of exciting power potential that we saw from him at West Virginia in 2023, when he slashed .449/.517/.787 with 16 home runs and 24 doubles in just 268 plate appearances.

"We may see Wetherholt get a promotion to St. Louis at the end of this month, but even if we don't, I very much expect to see Wetherholt on the Cardinals' roster come Opening Day in 2026. Wetherholt is the future for the Cardinals, and he very soon will be a part of their present as well."

Wetherholt should have been on his way to St. Louis a week or two ago, but with the season already seemingly wasted, the Cardinals likely won't call him up until September at the earliest.

That doesn't discredit the fact that he's destroying Triple-A pitching. The star infielder has looked every bit the part of a prospect who could have gone No. 1 in last season's MLB Draft.

He's already turning heads without debuting in the big leagues. When the star infielder arrives, he's likely to stick in St. Louis as the everyday second baseman. Until then, Cardinals fans can continue to enjoy his dominance at the Triple-A level.

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