Cardinals Truths and Lies: What's Real and What's Fake 3 Games Into Season

It's been a very positive start to the 2026 Major League Baseball season for the St. Louis Cardinals.

St. Louis entered the season with extremely low expectations across the league. While that is still the case, St. Louis shined in its first series of the year as it took two out of three games from the Tampa Bay Rays. It was a busy weekend at Busch Stadium filled with runs, JJ Wetherholt hype and plenty of fans in the stands.

It's far too early to really know what the Cardinals have in this young team, but the early returns from the first series of the season were positive. Things change quickly in Major League Baseball and things could look different a week or a month from now. With that being said, let's talk about what was true from the first series of the season and what could be a lie.

TRUTHS

Mar 29, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals second baseman JJ Wetherholt (26) throws out Tampa Bay Rays left fielder Chandler Simpson (not pictured) during the seventh inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

JJ Wetherholt is going to be a star in this league quickly

It's hard not to be excited about the Cardinals' No. 1 prospect. The 23-year-old looked right at home in his first series in the big leagues. Wetherholt slashed .308/.333/.538 with one homer and four RBIs in his first three games of his career. He showed a flair for the dramatic as well with a homer in his first game and a walk-off base hit in his second game. What makes him stand out is the fact that he doesn't look like a rookie adjusting to the big league game. Even in his at-bats in which he's gotten out, he's looked like a seasoned veteran. He has the talent to be a star and the plate discipline to reach that threshold quickly.

Alec Burleson could be the next St. Louis All-Star

Alec Burleson won a Silver Slugger Award in 2025. There's no denying the fact that he's a talented hitter. At this point last year, it wasn't even clear if he would have a consistent role with the team, but his bat kept him in the lineup. Now, he should be even better. He does have a consistent role now as the team's first baseman and thrived in the first series of the season. He slashed .364/.429/.636 with one homer, four RBIs, one stolen base, two walks and three runs scored. The sky is the limit for him now with a consistent role. The Cardinals traded away Brendan Donovan this past offseason. Burleson arguably could be the next guy with the club to earn an All-Star nod.

LIES

Mar 29, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Dustin May (3) pitches against the Tampa Bay Rays during the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

Dustin May's Cardinals debut

It wasn't May's day in his first start in a Cardinals uniform. He pitched four innings against the Rays and allowed six earned runs. It wasn't his best outing, to say the least. Arguably, this isn't the guy we're going to see consistently, though. May was phenomenal in Spring Training and flashed an improved fastball and good curveball. He had a 1.54 ERA in three Spring Training appearances as well. It wasn't his day on Sunday, but he's going to be good fo this team.

Masyn Winn/Iván Herrera's slow starts offensively

Neither Winn nor Herrera have gotten the bat going yet. Winn is 3-for-14 and Herrera is 1-for-13. Not great, but no cause for concern. Both of these guys are going to be fine in the long run. They have shown enough over the last few years to know this.