The Cardinals activated second baseman JJ Wetherholt from the 10-day injured list before their finale against the Giants on Wednesday afternoon. The club designated right-hander Peter Strzelecki and infielder Ramón Urías for assignment in corresponding moves.
Wetherholt, who had been sidelined since Aug. 30 with right wrist tendinitis, went through a normal pregame routine on Sept. 15, ahead of his activation. The second baseman, who turned 24 on Sept. 10, has a solid case to win NL Rookie of the Year, primarily on the strength of his defense. Despite missing a couple weeks, Wetherholt still ranks in the 100th percentile among all big leaguers with 22 Outs Above Average.
Wetherholt had been managing pain symptoms in his wrist for about a month before landing on the IL, but the pain worsened in late August, impacting his production at the plate as he took on added duties filling in at shortstop for Masyn Winn. The plan had been for Wetherholt to manage his pain with treatment, but "my body just was not really responding to it," he said.