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It’s no secret, and even less so a surprise, that the most interesting storyline for the St. Louis Cardinals as Spring Training kicks off is the situation regarding No. 1 prospect JJ Wetherholt.

The Cardinals won’t kick off Spring Training in Jupiter until Thursday, but the hype is already loud around the young infielder. On Tuesday, MLB.com’s Manny Randhawa shared an Opening Day roster projection for St. Louis and unsurprisingly, Wetherholt was listed as the starter at second base.

“Second baseman (1): JJ Wetherholt,” Randhawa wrote. “When Donovan was traded to the Mariners, it opened a vacancy at second base. Enter Wetherholt, the No. 5 prospect in the game per MLB Pipeline. The seventh overall pick in 2024 produced a .304/.418/.487 slash line with 19 home runs in 138 Minor League games from 2024-25.”

Wetherholt is the most anticipated prospect to make his MLB debut for the Cardinals since Jordan Walker, and perhaps, since the late Oscar Taveras. He is also seemingly the most big-league ready prospect in the top 10-ranked prospects.

He was ready for the big leagues last season, but the Cardinals opted to keep him in Triple-A, where he dominated.

A versatile infielder, Wetherholt was drafted No. 7 overall by the Cardinals in 2024 out of West Virginia. His debut is likely to be the most exciting part of this season’s rebuild for fans. While Wetherholt’s defensive game is better than some may realize, it’s his bat that has generated headlines throughout his career. After hitting .449 with 60 RBIs as a sophomore at WVU, he became one of college baseball’s top prospects, and his production has remained consistent at higher levels. At Triple-A Memphis last year, he hit .314 with 24 extra-base hits in 185 at-bats.

With the trades of Nolan Arenado and Brendan Donovan, the path for Wetherholt to take over a starting position on the Cardinals’ infield is looking more promising.