Top Cardinals prospect JJ Wetherholt started at shortstop and batted second for Memphis in his Class AAA debut on Wednesday at AutoZone Park.
He didn’t wait long to make his introduction at the new level.
Wetherholt had three extra-base hits, including his first Triple-A home run, in his first day at the highest level of the minors.
After flying out in his first at-bat, the 22-year-old infield prospect tripled on a line drive to right field in his second at-bat, and he hit a 424-foot homer to center field at AutoZone Park in his third trip to the plate as the Redbirds’ No. 2 hitter. The home run by Wetherholt had a 104-mph exit velocity, per Statcast.
The Class AAA debut for Wetherholt, who skipped Class Low-A, comes after he batted .300 and had an .891 on-base plus slugging percentage in 62 games for Class AA Springfield (Missouri) and less than a year after he was selected by the Cardinals with the seventh overall pick in the 2024 MLB draft.
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Wetherholt's debut for the Cardinals' highest affiliate came as Charlotte swept the Redbirds. Memphis lost 10-4 in his debut, and then dropped the second half of the doubleheader, 9-4, to the White Sox affiliate.
Wetherholt, the seventh overall selection 12 months ago in the MLB Draft, doubled in the second game, which he started at designated hitter. He began his Triple-A tenure 3 for 8.
While Wetherholt will remain a priority at shortstop, the expectation is that he'll also see some time at second base and perhaps third as his time at Triple-A Memphis continues.
