View the original article to see embedded media.
Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina is expected to be put on the 10-day injured list on Friday, according to The Athletic.
The 39-year-old continues to deal with knee soreness throughout the 2022 season.
Now, the veteran catcher will miss a chunk of his final MLB season. He signed a one-year, $10 million contract extension last August and made it clear that after 19 seasons, 2022 would be his last hoorah.
In order to help with his knee issues, he received multiple cortisone shots over the weekend in hopes that he would be ready to take on a loaded Cardinals schedule. He was supposed to rest for 48 hours before returning to the field, but he decided to start during St. Louis’ first game of Tuesday’s doubleheader vs. the Pirates.
After Wednesday’s game vs. the Pirates, in which Molina went 0-for-4 at the plate, the Cardinals knew it was time to give their catcher a break. However, it is unclear when the 10-time All-Star is expected to return to the line-up.
But, now he will miss teaming up with Adam Wainwright on Friday vs. the Red Sox. The pitcher–catcher duo recently tied with former MLB players Warren Spahn and Del Crandall for second most starts in MLB history at 316. The duo is nine starts away from tying the major league record.
Watch the MLB online with fuboTV: Try for free!
Reserve catcher Andrew Knizner is expected to make most of the starts, replacing Molina behind home plate. Prospect Ivan Herrera will also be recalled from Triple-A Memphis as another option at catcher, per The Athletic.
With injuries, Molina has struggled this season so far, and is hitting .213 with two homers. His OPS is just .519.
