Jonathan David "JJ" Wetherholt (born September 10, 2002) is an American professional baseball infielder for the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He was selected by the Cardinals in the first round of the 2024 MLB draft and made his MLB debut in 2026.
Wetherholt attended Mars Area High School in Mars, Pennsylvania. He went undrafted in the 2021 Major League Baseball draft and enrolled at West Virginia University to play college baseball for the Mountaineers.
As a freshman at West Virginia in 2022, Wetherholt played in 54 games (making 53 starts) and hit .308 with five home runs, 39 RBIs, 17 doubles, and 15 stolen bases. That summer, he briefly played in the Northwoods League for the Madison Mallards with whom he batted .368 over 12 games.
As a sophomore in 2023, Wetherholt garnered national attention. He played in 55 games and batted .449 with 16 home runs, sixty RBIs, and 36 stolen bases. He was named one of five finalists for the Dick Howser Trophy. He was also named the Big 12 Conference Baseball Player of the Year. Following the 2023 season, he played collegiate summer baseball for the Chatham Anglers of the Cape Cod Baseball League. He also played for the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team. Wetherholt injured his hamstring four games into the 2024 season, and missed over a month. Over 36 games, he batted .331 with eight home runs and thirty RBIs.
Wetherholt was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals in the first round with the seventh overall pick of the 2024 Major League Baseball draft. On July 20, 2024, Wetherholt signed with the Cardinals on a $6.8 million contract.
Three days after signing his professional contract with the Cardinals, Wetherholt was assigned to the rookie-league Florida Complex League Cardinals roster on July 23. He was quickly promoted to Single-A Palm Beach Cardinals of the Florida State League on July 30, with whom he played the remainder of the season. During the final week of the 2024 regular season, Wetherholt was named the Florida State League player of the week from September 2âÂÂ9. Wetherholt was also a key contributor in the subsequent playoff rounds, highlighted by a two-run triple in the seventh inning of the decisive championship game to help Palm Beach win their first Florida State league title since 2017. Over 29 games for the season, Wetherholt hit .295 with two home runs and twenty RBI.
Wetherholt was assigned to the Double-A Springfield Cardinals of the Texas League to open the 2025 season. He was selected to represent the Cardinals at the 2025 All-Star Futures Game at Truist Park. On July 8, 2025, Wetherholt was promoted to the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds of the International League. Over 109 games between the two teams, Wetherholt hit .306 with 17 home runs, 59 RBI, 28 doubles, and 23 stolen bases. He was awarded both the 2025 Texas League Most Valuable Player Award and the International League Top MLB Prospect Award. The Cardinals also named Wetherholt their Minor League Player of the Year.
On March 23, 2026, the Cardinals announced that Wetherholt had made the team's Opening Day roster. Two days later, St. Louis formally selected his contract. Wetherholt made his MLB debut on March 26, 2026, during the Cardinals' season home opener versus the Tampa Bay Rays, where he started at second base and batted in the leadoff spot. He recorded his first MLB hit, a solo home run off of Drew Rasmussen in third inning.
WetherholtâÂÂs grandmother is from South Korea, and he stated that he would represent Team South Korea in the 2026 World Baseball Classic. Wetherholt later told reporters that he was not permitted to play for the team as he is "not Korean enough. You need a direct parent to be a citizen [â¦], I think it would really mean a lot to her. But unfortunately, (I) won't be able to do it."