JJ Wetherholt was certain to remember his Major League Baseball debut Thursday regardless of the results.
That Wetherholt, the St. Louis Cardinals’ leadoff hitter and second baseman, belted a solo home run in his second at bat made it all the more memorable.
Wetherholt’s blast came on an 0-2 offering off Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Drew Rasmussen on a 425-shoot to center field.
JJ WETHERHOLT 😤
He leaves the yard in his Major League debut! pic.twitter.com/4NNDZYirt6
— MLB (@MLB) March 26, 2026
It was the lone run Rasmussen allowed over five innings, while the Cardinals rallied from a 7-1 deficit with an eight-run sixth inning to win 9-7.
Wetherholt contributed a sacrifice fly in the sixth and finished 1-for-4 with a pair of RBI.
An All-American during his three-year career at West Virginia, Wetherholt hit .449 in 2023 as a sophomore and was selected by the Cardinals with the seventh pick in the 2024 MLB Draft.
Wetherholt was widely considered St. Louis’ best prospect entering this season and is among the top prospects in all of baseball.
Over 138 games at three minor league levels, Wetherholt hit .304 and had an equal number of base-on-balls (88) to strikeouts. Wetherholt logged 47 games at the Triple-A level and hit .314, further showcasing he was ready for the opportunity that has come about.