JJ Wetherholt has been one of MLB's best second basemen defensively all season, but the Cardinals could be taking a major risk by moving him to shortstop from time to time to backup Gold Glove winner Masyn Winn.
From JJ Wetherholt’s stellar Minor League background, the St. Louis Cardinals know that the standout rookie is capable of playing shortstop and third base as well as the second base position he has thrived at over the first 64 games of his MLB career.
The question the Cards should be asking themselves now is this: What cost will come by moving Wetherholt to positions other than second base where he has proven to be so comfortable?
Wetherholt, a candidate to become the first Cardinal player to win the National League’s Rookie of the Year award since Albert Pujols in 2001, got his first MLB start at shortstop on Sunday in the series finale against the Twins. The Cardinals made the move with Wetherholt from second base to shortstop to give Gold Glover Masyn Winn a scheduled day off.
The Cardinals could have moved Jose Fermin to shortstop after he played his first game there last week. However, Fermin started at third on Sunday and rookie Blaze Jordan moved over to first base so that Alec Burleson could get a partial day off as the designated hitter.
The defensive switch had no ill effects on the bat of Wetherholt, who smashed his 10th home run in the top of the sixth inning to give the Cards a 3-2 lead at the time. Wetherholt jumped all over a low-and-in fastball in a 3-1 count, hitting it 380 feet down the right field line to plate Nathan Church ahead of him.
The Cardinals have vowed that they would resist “chasing offense” while moving defenders around the diamond on a daily basis. The Cardinals suffered the consequences of moving defenders around the field and lineup in 2023 while battling through one of the franchise’s worst seasons defensively.
By moving Wetherholt, the Cardinals run the risk of disrupting the stellar run the 23-year-old rookie has had at second base thus far. In 560 2/3 innings of work at second base, Wetherholt has handled 264 total chances, and he has committed just two errors while also having a hand in 35 double plays thus far.
Wetherholt has graded out well defensively
In terms of Outs Above Average, Wetherholt has a plus-13 rating, which is tied for second overall in MLB with Pete Crow-Armstrong (13) and trailing only Royals superstar shortstop Bobby Witt Jr (16). Wetherholt is comfortably ahead of MLB’s next closest second baseman with Giants infielder Luis Arraez holding a plus-9 rating.
In terms of Fielding Bible’s Defensive Runs Saved, Wetherholt ranks No. 8 among all fielders in MLB with a plus-10 rating. Among all MLB second basemen, he ranks second behind only Seattle rookie Cole Young (plus-13).
Wetherholt could be on his way to becoming just the second rookie in the storied history of the Cardinals to win a Gold Glove award. Brendan Donovan became the first to ever do that in 2022 by winning the NL’s first-ever utility Gold Glove award.
The Cardinals have been looking for shortstop depth behind Winn since optioning struggling utility player Thomas Saggese to Triple-A Memphis. Cesar Prieto backed up Winn for a period before being optioned back to Triple-A.
Hence, the club turning to Wetherholt, who split his time between three infield positions during his brief time in the Minor Leagues in 2024 and ’25. He played shortstop in 85 Minor League games, but he committed 12 errors there in 327 total chances.
The club informed Wetherholt roughly a week ago that it might need him to play some shortstop in the coming days, giving him a chance to field balls at that position before games.
Years earlier, the Cardinals experimented similarly with Gold Glove second baseman Tommy Edman, moving him first to shortstop and later to center field. Edman, who was a Gold Glove finalist at the utility position in 2023, eventually injured his wrist and was traded to the Dodgers in 2024. The physical toll of playing shortstop and center field – as opposed to simply sticking at second base – tended to wear down Edman, whose offensive production tended to be better earlier in seasons that over the second half.
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