St. Louis Cardinals All-Star catcher Yadier Molina will be placed on the 15-day disabled list to give his ailing knee time to rest.
Molina suffered a sprained knee in the third inning of the second game of Tuesday’s doubleheader against the Pirates and said after the game he expected to be headed to the disabled list. He returned to St. Louis on Wednesday for an MRI exam. He had an MRI on the same knee on July 6.
“I tried to play through it, but it was getting worse. The smart thing to do is give my knee some time to rest,” said Molina, who was also bothered by the knee in June. “Like anybody else, I want to be a guy who is out there on the field playing, but I need to give it some time.”
The Cardinals are not in the market for a replacement, according to manager Mike Matheny.
Molina won’t be easy to replace. He was third in the National League with a .330 batting average and is widely regarded as the best defensive catcher in baseball.
He said he has been playing since June with right knee pain that worsens when he runs.