The St. Louis Cardinals have settled on a target return date for catcher Yadier Molina, who has been out injured since June.
Yadier Molina is heading for Triple-A, which is amazing news for the Cardinals and their fans.
The legendary catcher has been on the injured list for over a month with inflammation in his right knee. The length of his stay on the IL has been shrouded in mystery.
Now we know exactly when St. Louis plans to get him back.
Yadier Molina injury: Cardinals set target for return
Cardinals president of baseball operations Jon Mozeliak told MLB.com that Molina will start a rehab stint with the Memphis Redbirds this week.
If all goes well, he’ll return on Aug. 2 when the Cards take on the Cubs in St. Louis. Molina’s longtime battery mate Adam Wainwright is slated to start that game.
On Monday, the Cardinals’ medical staff examined Molina, who has been rehabbing near his family in Puerto Rico. They cleared him for two days of simulated drills before heading to Memphis for an appearance on Thursday.
Since this is Molina’s final season, seeing him spend so much time on the IL has been frustrating, especially as he and Wainwright chase the record for most battery starts in MLB history. The two are just eight starts away.
Molina has made 38 appearances this season, batting .213/.225/.294. He has two home runs, 10 RBI and one stolen base. His WAR is -0.1. If it finishes that way it’ll be just the second time in his career with a negative WAR. His defensive war is down to 0.4 compared to 1.5 last year.
Playing through knee pain has clearly not suited Molina. With any luck, he’ll be back and rejuvenated soon.