Postcard from Cardinals spring training camp for Monday, March 2, 2026
Result: Cardinals 3, Marlins 2
Weather: Partly cloudy, 79 degrees
By Rob Rains
JUPITER, Fla. – It’s easy to understand why JJ Wetherholt is happy with how his first six games of the spring have gone for the Cardinals.
That’s what happens when you reach base more times than you make an out.
Trying to show that he is ready to become the starting second baseman on opening day, Wetheholt drew his sixth walk in 16 plate appearances on Monday. Even though he was retired in his other two at-bats, Wetherholt has now reached base nine times and been retired seven times, only twice by strikeouts, leaving him with a .563 on-base percentage.
“All of the at-bats I had last year, especially toward the end of the year in Triple A, against those arms, definitely slows the game down,” Wetherholt said. “Body feels good, swing is starting to feel good, defense is getting a little more smooth. Just got to keep pushing, keep going.”
Wetherholt’s day also included two good defensive plays.
Manager Oli Marmol has seen exactly what he hoped to see from Wetherholt so far this spring.
“You look out there today and you see Masyn (Winn) taking ground balls with him at second and they are both getting after it and working hard, doing exactly what he showed today, being a really good defender,” Marmol said.
“I like where his head is at when it comes to his overall game. This is a guy who understands the strike-zone approach and situationally will give you what’s needed.”
Here is how Monday’s game broke down:
High: Minor-leaguer Colton Ledbetter, acquired in the Brendan Donovan trade, got the walk-off single in the ninth inning to give the Cardinals the comeback win.
Low: For the second game in a row the Cardinals did not have a hit until the fifth inning.
At the plate: The Cardinals trailed 2-0 before Yohel Pozo delivered an RBI single in the seventh and then later scored the tying run on a sacrifice fly by Jeremy Rivas … The winning rally in the ninth started when Carlos Linarez was hit by a pitch and pinch-runner Mike Antico went to second on a wild pitch. Antico then scored on Ledbetter’s two-out hit … Joshua Baez won two challenges through the ABS system, getting strike calls overturned into balls in the seventh that helped extend that inning.
On the mound: Andre Pallante started and worked three innings, allowing one run on three hits while striking out two … Bruce Zimmerman worked two scoreless innings and Ryan Fernandez and George Soriano each worked one.
Worth noting: The Cardinals made their first roster cuts of the spring, trimming 11 players from the camp roster, most of whom were pitchers who are in the rehab program. Pitchers re-assigned to the minor league camp were Jurrangelo Cijntje, Austin Love, Hancel Rincon and Jared Shuster. Injured pitchers sent to the minors rehab program were Tekoah Roby, Pete Hanson, Ixan Henderson, Sem Robberse and Zack Thompson. Also sent to the minors camp were catcher Graysen Tarlow and Antico … Cijntje only made one appearance this spring and was sent out so he can start to build innings in advance of the regular season … Winn was scratched from the lineup after a heavy workload on Sunday, Marmol said, to give him an extra day of rest … Riley O’Brien threw a live batting practice session and if he recovers well should pitch in his first game of the spring later this week.
Up next: The Cardinals have their first of two days off this spring on Tuesday. They will play the World Baseball Classic team from Nicaragua, managed by Dusty Baker, in an exhibition game on Wednesday. Matthew Liberatore will get the start.
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