The St. Louis Cardinals have been without their star catcher, Yadier Molina, for over a month.
Just ahead of a three-game weekend series in Boston in June, it was announced that Molina would be placed on the 10-Day injured list with knee inflammation.
His absence has been noticeable, as his longtime batterymate Adam Wainwright hasn’t been quite as effective without him.
But the Cardinals and their fans got some good news on Monday night, after a day full of bad news on Sunday, when it was revealed that Molina would be starting a rehab assignment at Triple-A with the Memphis Redbirds on Thursday.
The Redbirds themselves tweeted the news.
Yadi Set For Rehab
The mere presence of Molina is a powerful one in the St. Louis clubhouse.
When he speaks, everybody listens.
He is the unofficial leader of this ballclub and is the heart and soul of the organization.
The Cards have been without him for a long time, but soon, the franchise icon will be returning and will provide St. Louis with a much-needed spark as we move towards the stretch run of the season.
The Cardinals are going to need him healthy if they want to take a shot at catching the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central and reaching their fourth straight postseason.
Molina is having a difficult season at the plate, hitting just .213 with two home runs and 10 RBI, but the Cardinals are hopeful that that was just a result of him playing through the pain, as he is often known to do.
The Cardinals expect the 40-year-old catcher to return when the team opens up a three-game series at Busch Stadium with the Chicago Cubs next week.
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