Cardinals' Already Loaded Infield Is About to Get Controversially Stacked—JJ Wetherholt Locked In as the Next Starter, Sparking Debate Over Who Gets Pushed Out of the Lineup

Feb 27, 2026; Jupiter, Florida, USA; St. Louis Cardinals designated hitter JJ Wetherholt (77) rounds the bases after hitting a home run against the New York Mets during the fourth inning at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Opening Day is finally right around the corner and all signs point towards St. Louis Cardinals fans getting a chance to see No. 1 prospect JJ Wetherholt in action in the big leagues right away.

Wetherholt is the real deal. He’s slashing .333/.579/.583 with one homer, four RBIs and seven walks in seven games played. The 23-year-old isn’t just in line to crack the big league roster, but instead to play a massive role right away.

If you’re in the cohort of Cardinals fans still wondering what the infield could look like in 2026, look no further. Cardinals insider Jeff Jones of Belleville News-Democrat shared a roster projection and noted that the infield will be Alec Burleson at first base, Wetherholt at second base, Masyn Winn at shortstop and Nolan Gorman at third base.

The Cardinals’ infield should be very good

Feb 16, 2026; Jupiter, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals infielder JJ Wetherholt (77) during spring training workouts at Roger Dean Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images | Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images

“Alec Burleson, Nolan Gorman, Ramón Urías, JJ Wetherholt, Masyn Winn,” Jones wrote. “On the first scheduled day of official workouts for position players, the Cardinals headed out to their primarily-used back field and placed Burleson at first, Wetherholt at second, Gorman at third and Winn at short without any obvious backups. That is the starting infield, and has been the starting infield seemingly for a manner of months.

“Adding Urías to the group during spring has allowed for some shifting of other righty bats to the outfield mix. It should also allow him to see a decent amount of action at third, moving Gorman to DH on some days, and second, if Wetherholt is less obviously ready than appears. The Cardinals also plan to get him some work at first base, with shortstop a lesser priority.”

This is absolutely how it should be. Wetherholt has done enough to show that he can be a high-end big leaguer on an everyday basis. Burleson and Winn have been locks at first base and shortstop. If the Cardinals are going to truly see what they have in Gorman, they need to give him a consistent opportunity. Third base is the most obvious way to do so.

This is the right move, and is one that should have the fanbase excited.