The top prospect in the St. Louis Cardinals farm system is officially three days away from making his major league debut.

The Cardinals announced via a post on "X" that the No. 5 prospect in baseball (per MLB Pipeline), JJ Wetherholt, will be with the team on Opening Day for Game 1 of 162 against the Tampa Bay Rays at 3:15 p.m. CT on March 26 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis.

Wetherholt will wear No. 26 in his major league debut.

Wetherholt was picked with the seventh overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft out of West Virginia.

The former Mountaineer has been a quick riser in the Cardinals' farm system since he was picked.

In 2024, the summer after he was selected, he played 29 games with the Single-A Palm Beach Cardinals. He slashed .295/.405/.400 with an .805 OPS. He hit five doubles and two home runs with 20 RBIs.

After his first summer of pro ball, Wetherholt was a non-roster invite to spring training in 2025 and received playing time in 10 Grapefruit League games.

After his first taste of a big league spring, Wetherholt embarked on his first full season in the minor leagues last year. He skipped high-A entirely and began with the Double-A Springfield Cardinals.

He was promoted to the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds on July 7. Across 109 games at Double-A and Triple-A, Wetherholt slashed .306/.421/.510 with a .931 OPS. He hit 28 doubles, two triples and 17 homers with 59 RBIs and stole 23 bases in 26 opportunities.

Wetherholt received another non-roster invite to spring training this spring. There was expectation for him to make major league roster if he put together a solid big league camp.

In 15 Grapefruit League games this spring, Wetherholt had a slash line of .212/.386/.394 with a .780 OPS and hit two homers with seven RBIs and stole two bases in as many opportunities.

Currently, Wetherholt is projected to be St. Louis' Opening Day second baseman and lead-off hitter according to FanGraphs.

Wetherholt has received a lot of hype since he was drafted as a potential future face of the franchise.

The 23-year-old will enter this season with a lot of expectations from outside the franchise, as well.

Currently, Wetherholt is third in National League Rookie of the Year odds, according to betting site BetMGM. Wetherholt has +500 odds to win NL Rookie of the Year. Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop/outfielder Konnor Griffin is first in odds at +200 and New York Mets starting pitcher Nolan McLean is second at +450.

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