JUPITER, Fla. • Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina, recovering from two surgeries to repair a torn ligament in his left thumb, has begun swinging a bat while hitting baseballs off a tee. But perhaps more importantly, Molina could catch an inning or two as early as Wednesday, manager Mike Matheny said, when the Cardinals play the Miami Marlins.
If he started, he probably would bat ninth in the lineup and then be pinch hit for when his time at-bat came. The Cardinals will be the home team in the game with Miami so he likely could catch two frames before having to hit.