JUPITER, Fla. • Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina, who returned to the crouch this past weekend for Adam Wainwright's bullpen session, will see his first turn in games behind the plate on March 14, manager Mike Shildt said.
Molina will appear in Grapefruit League games before then as the team's designated hitter. Shildt said the Cardinals' Gold Glove-winning catcher, who had knee surgery this past offseason, could hit in games now and has not been limited running in drills or participating in live batting practice work.
The idea is to ease him into games with a schedule of play geared toward his debut behind the plate, in games, against the Mets on March 14.