The St. Louis Cardinals have won three consecutive games after losing a series to the Texas Rangers. While they are still five games back of first place in the National League Central, they lead the NL wild card race with a 34-28 record.
The Cardinals will try to sweep the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday. They have been able to win their last three games despite not having JJ Wetherholt in the lineup due to a groin injury. However, Jeff Jones provided a positive update on the rookie second baseman on Sunday morning when he posted the team’s starting lineup for the series finale.
“Wetherholt returns as advertised,” Jones posted on X. “(Lars) Nootbaar lengthens the lineup.”
JJ Wetherholt back in Cardinals lineup
Wetherholt has missed a little time lately. He sat in Wednesday’s series finale against the Rangers, as well as the first two games of the series against the Reds.
However, he should be quite well rested as the Cardinals look to finish off a sweep against the Reds. He has had a fantastic season to date, hitting .249/.357/.400 with nine home runs, 25 RBI, a 2.7 WAR and a .757 OPS. He is a strong candidate to win the NL Rookie of the Year award if he keeps this up.
The Cardinals drafted Wetherholt in the first round back in 2024, and he has quickly risen through the farm system and found his way onto the big-league roster. There is a lot to be excited about with Wetherholt.
The 23-year-old second baseman is the player that the Cardinals are building around as they continue their rebuild and go with a much younger roster in the future. Fans have gotten behind this rebuild and are enjoying seeing Wetherholt make his mark on the club.
Fortunately for St. Louis, the groin injury wasn’t too severe, and now he will be back in the lineup as the Cardinals look to finish off the Reds and improve to seven games above the .500 mark before leaving home and starting a three-game series against the New York Mets.
It will be interesting to see what Wetherholt can do on Sunday and if the groin injury is truly behind him. In order to continue their winning ways, the Cardinals are going to need Wetherholt in their lineup at the leadoff spot to set the table and get their offensive attack going for the rest of the season.
