Prospect JJ Wetherholt's premature departure from the game fuels injury conjecture among Cardinals fans
Uncensored Update on JJ Wetherholt's Health:
Let's dissect the latest health woes of the St. Louis Cardinals' top prospect, JJ Wetherholt.
Friday night at the Springfield Cardinals game saw a rather peculiar incident. Wetherholt, the team's second baseman, made the final out of the top of the first inning but was noticeably absent when it came time for the bottom of the first. Instead of taking his at-bat, he was pulled from the game, with no immediate explanation given.
Now comes the confusing part: the Cardinals later confirmed that the move was merely precautionary, and JJ himself was dealing with flu-like symptoms. Thankfully, this Rules Out any potential injury concerns!
Flashback to the past:Before we get ahead of ourselves, let's rewind to the lead-up to the 2024 MLB Draft. Wetherholt was touted as the first or second pick in the draft, along with Travis Bazzana. However, a grade 3 hamstring injury sidelined him for much of the season, causing him to slide in the draft, allowing the Cardinals to pick him up with the seventh overall pick.
Luckily for the Cardinals, Wetherholt returned to play for West Virginia after the injury, and there have been no recorded issues with his hamstring since joining the organization. Nonetheless, it can't be ruled out as a potential culprit again, considering the recurring nature of such injuries.
Fast-forward to 2025:Despite a rocky start this year, JJ Wetherholt has been on a tear lately! Despite failing to record a hit in his first 17 plate appearances, he's managed to bounce back impressively, boasting a .364/.453/.523 slash line in 53 plate appearances. This whopping 169 wRC+ is extremely impressive, especially considering he only had 126 plate appearances at Single-A last year before moving up to High-A this year.
Keep an eye on this situation, as we'll continue to monitor JJ Wetherholt's status and provide updates as more information becomes available!
Sources:1. Baseball America2. MLB.com3. St. Louis Post-Dispatch4. U.S. News & World Report5. CBS Sports
- Despite Friday's incident at the Springfield Cardinals game, where JJ Wetherholt was absent due to flu-like symptoms and precautionary measures, his issue does not seem to be related to any previous injury concerns, such as the grade 3 hamstring injury he suffered in 2024.
- When discussing JJ Wetherholt's hot start in 2025, it's important to note that his recent flu-like symptoms have been confirmed and are not related to any symptoms or issues with his hamstring.
- When the 2024 MLB Draft approached, JJ Wetherholt was thought to be the first or second pick, but a grade 3 hamstring injury forced him to miss a significant portion of the season, causing him to slide in the draft and eventually be picked up by the Cardinals with the seventh overall pick.
- Thankfully for the Cardinals and their fans, flu-like symptoms are the only health concerns JJ Wetherholt is dealing with at the moment, as there have been no recorded issues with his hamstring since he joined the organization.
