This injured Cardinals star doesn't look like he'll have a job to come back to

The St. Louis Cardinals still aren't sure exactly when Nolan Arenado might be able to return from the Injured List with a shoulder issue that's been bothering him for over a month now. But at this point, simply getting back on the field down the stretch of a lost season should be the least of Arenado's worries. Because it's entirely possible that, whenever he is healthy again, he might come back to discover that he's no longer the present or the future of the team at third base.

For now, Nolan Gorman has been the one to take over Arenado's spot at the hot corner. But over the weekend, the Cardinals made clear what their true intention at the position is: The team's No. 1 prospect, infielder JJ Wetherholt, made his Triple-A debut at third on Sunday, notching three hits and a homer.

Last year's first-round pick has done pretty much nothing but rake so far in his pro career. But he's slashing an eye-watering .344/.425/.754 since being promoted to Triple-A Memphis back on July 9, and if he keeps hitting like this, St. Louis will have no choice but to give him a shot in the Majors once rosters expand in a few weeks' time.

His ultimate defensive home is more unsettled, or at least it was; Wetherholt was drafted as a shortstop, but the Cardinals are still nowhere near ready to abandon Masyn Winn as the future at that position (and Winn is a superior defender at the 6 anyway). Now, though, it sure seems like the team has its answer. With Brendan Donovan still holding down second base, the obvious opening is at third, and that suddenly puts Arenado in a very awkward predicament.

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Cardinals top prospect JJ Wetherholt might take Nolan Arenado's job for good

To be clear, the predicament was already pretty awkward. This is a Cardinals team that is now openly leaning into a rebuild, with John Mozeliak having spent his final trade deadline in charge of the front office giving his eventual successor, Chaim Bloom, some low-Minor prospects to dream on and not a whole lot else. St. Louis seems to be taking a patient approach with building its next contender, and that almost certainly has no place for a 34-year-old who's in deep decline at the plate and is set to cost more than $50 million against the team's payroll over the next two years.

But Wetherholt's ascension, and his ability to capably man third base, has made it untenable. There's only so much longer you can hold a player who's as ready as he is down in the Minors; eventually, he's going to need a new challenge, and the Cardinals would benefit from at least getting his feet wet against big-league pitching at some point this season. With players blocking him everywhere else, that will almost have to come at the hot corner.

Arenado already figured to be all too willing to accept a trade out of St. Louis this winter, even if it came for pennies on the dollar. He understandably wants to play for a contender in his twilight, and the Cardinals can't make that happen for him. Now, though, it's worth wondering whether we've already seen the last of him in a St. Louis uniform, and just how forceful the team will be about clearing the runway for its future.