The months of August and September are when forward-thinking clubs choose to give players who may soon be regular starters opportunity. One of those clubs may be the St. Louis Cardinals, who are presently four games off of a postseason berth and fourth in the NL Central with a 61-61 record.
With two in the top 35 (pitcher Liam Doyle at No. 35 and infielder JJ Wetherholt at No. 6), as well as two in the bottom half (catchers Leonardo Bernal at No. 74 and Rainiel Rodriguez at No. 99), the Cardinals are well-represented on MLB Pipeline’s ranking of the top 100 prospects.
Of the four, Wetherholt is the closest to making his big-league debut and has already advanced to Triple-A. However, according to Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak, Wetherholt is not on the verge of being promoted to St. Louis merely because he is almost sniffing the major leagues with the Memphis Redbirds.
Mozeliak stated that the team had no intention of calling up Wetherholt at any time during the 2025 season during an appearance on 101 ESPN’s “The Morning After STL” program on August 13.
“It’s not the protection year, so I think it’s not necessarily in the best interest for the organization to do that,” Mozeliak stated. “You are under no obligation to include them on the roster this summer, despite the fact that it may be thrilling and enjoyable. And it is absolutely something that ought to be considered.
In what has been a successful season for the 22-year-old prospect, Mozeliak’s declaration is a rare blow for Wetherholt. He had a.306/.395/.708 slash line, hit seven home runs, drove in 16 runs, and scored 18 more in 19 games with the Red Birds and the Double-A affiliate of the Cardinals, the Springfield Cardinals, three days ago, earning him the title of Minor League Player of July.
In his 85 appearances in 2025, Wetherholt, who was initially selected with the seventh overall choice in the 2024 MLB Draft, is hitting.300 with 14 home runs, 48 RBIs, 61 runs scored, and a.930 OPS.
