ST. LOUIS – In a moment drenched in symbolism – but based entirely on merit and promise, Cardinals president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom insisted – prized rookie JJ Wetherholt took his first MLB swings from the leadoff spot to start the club’s massive rebuild.

Wetherholt, the face of the club’s first full-on rebuilding project in more than three decades, became the first Cardinals player to make his MLB debut and hit leadoff on Opening Day since 1949. In another sign of just how unique it is what Wetherholt was doing, he became just the sixth player in the rich history of the Cardinals to hit leadoff in his MLB debut.

And what a debut it was for Wetherholt and the Cardinals in Thursday’s 9-7 defeat of the Rays on Opening Day at Busch Stadium. MLB’s No. 5-ranked prospect drilled a 425-foot home run in his second big-league at bat and later he drove another ball to the warning track for a sacrifice-fly RBI in an eight-run, game-turning outburst in the sixth inning.

It was the stuff of dreams for Wetherholt, who was all smiles after playing a key role in a feel-good victory that might suggest that the Cards could be more competitive than expected as they rebuild their roster.

“Just everything, honestly,” Wetherholt said when asked what most impressed him from his rousing debut. “That’s just who we are and how we’re trying to play. Not just one guy trying to be the hero but just playing good baseball and passing the (baton) to the next guy.”

Bloom, the man who ushered in the dramatically different era in Cardinals baseball by dealing away Nolan Arenado, Brendan Donovan, Sonny Gray and Willson Contreras and committing to a rebuild that might make the Cards perennial contenders again, seemed to understand the significance of the Wetherholt leadoff at bat long before the prized rookie dug into the box. Wetherholt’s first at bat was an impressive seven-pitch battle that ended in a lazy fly ball to center field. But having the face of the club’s rebuild take that first at bat of a new era was dripping in … symbolism.

“If there are bonus points for symbolism, we’ll take the bonus points,” joked Bloom, who noted that he had his usual restless night of sleep before Thursday’s Opening Day. “I didn’t ask (manager) Oli (Marmol) about it, but I don’t think that (symbolism) is why Oli (hit Wetherholt leadoff). But Wetherholt never gave us a reason to think that he shouldn’t be there in that leadoff spot. Really, that’s true about anywhere he might be hitting. So, it should be fun watching him lead things off.”

Marmol, who was signed to a contract extension prior to the start of his fifth season as MLB manager, will be the man in charge of leading the Cardinals through a rebuilding project that they hope will make them competitive for World Series berths again in the coming years. Already, he is tasked with constructing a lineup that is light on power and still overloaded with left-handed hitters. He debated hitting Masyn Winn at leadoff, but he ultimately settled on slotting him as an unconventional cleanup hitter to avoid a run on lefties that bullpens could combat late in games.

Ultimately, Marmol chose Wetherholt for the leadoff slot because he is confident that the 23-year-old rookie has a strong enough mental makeup to handle the heft of such a position. Since meeting the infielder in Spring Training of 2025, Marmol has been impressed with Wetherholt’s sense of belonging and he’s never been rattled by the stage he’s playing on. Should Wetherholt ultimately struggle while hitting lead off, Marmol knows the first-year big leaguer isn’t the type to crumble under expectations.

Still, Marmol fully understood the message being sent on Opening Day with the precocious rookie leading off the start of a new generation of Cardinals baseball.

“The kid’s going to debut, we’re in a new chapter in the overall story of the Cardinals and I think it’s pretty damn cool for him to lead us off,” Marmol said.

“I just like the overall profile of JJ in that leadoff spot, and I think he has a lot of opportunities to grow into that spot. He does a really good job of using the whole field, he has some real hit-ability and he controls the strike zone in a way that allows for some on-base (possibilities) outside of hits.”

How quickly Wetherholt hits could serve as a barometer for how long it takes the Cardinals to reach contender status again. The club is still waiting on the enormous promise of outfielder Jordan Walker and third baseman Nolan Gorman, and they have cleared the runway for them to play every day in what could amount to sink-or-swim seasons for them. Winn is a Gold Glover defensively, but he must improve at the plate to be considered one of the game’s greats at the shortstop position.

First baseman Alec Burleson, a Silver Slugger winner in 2025, is trying to go from good to great this season and his towering 432-foot shot to cap Thursday’s big rally was a step in the right direction. Victor Scott and Nathan Church both had three hits on Opening Day, but the Cards’ most promising outfielder in the system (Joshua Baez) might still be at Triple-A.

On the mound, the club hopes that Opening Day starter Matthew Liberatore, second-year right-hander Michael McGreevy and converted reliever Kyle Leahy can take major strides forward this season and show that they can be pillars to build around. As for Dustin May and Ryne Stanek – two of the more veteran players in a clubhouse full of kids – they could be used as trade pieces by the end of July if they have big bounce-back seasons in St. Louis.

Liberatore, for one, believes the Cardinals might be far more competitive in the first year of the rebuild than some might think. Liberatore, who wisely pitched around Rays star Junior Caminero on Thursday and limited Tampa Bay to one run over five innings, said the Cards take offense to the notion that the club must be awful during a rebuild.    

“Unloading some of the money that we had in the clubhouse last year was an admittance that we needed to change things up a little bit and shake it up,” Liberatore said. “We’ve done a really good job of not feeling like this is a rebuild. I know a lot of the media has said that, but honestly inside the clubhouse we don’t feel that way.

“I think that’s really exciting and it will allow us to hit the ground running – whether you want to call it a rebuild or not.” 

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