After missing two consecutive games with a hand injury, St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina landed on the 10-day injured list Friday with a right thumb strain.
Tests revealed Molina suffered a tendon strain in his right thumb and after the pain didn’t go away after two days of rest, St. Louis finally opted to place him on the injured list and call up Andrew Knizner.
Molina’s absence will be felt significantly given how heavily St. Louis relied upon him. Before the sat out the past two contests, Molina played in 50 of the team’s 53 games this season.
The 36-year-old carries a .265/.294/.397 slash line this season with 33 RBI and 13 doubles. While he has taken a step back defensively, the veteran helped the Cardinals’ rotation significantly and his absence will add to the loss for St. Louis.
In his absence, Matt Wieters is expected to fill in as the everyday catcher. He has hit very well in limited playing time this year with a .387/.412/.710 slash line with three home runs in 34 plate appearances.