Cardinals backstop Yadier Molina is scheduled to undergo knee surgery sometime next week, per Brian Stull of St. Louis Baseball Weekly. The procedure, described as a “cleaning” of the knee, is expected to be relatively minor and should have Molina back on his feet again within several weeks.
The 36-year-old catcher doesn’t have a lengthy history of knee issues. He underwent a medial meniscectomy on his right knee back in 2007 and has missed a few days here and there with soreness and inflammation, but doesn’t appear to be facing anything serious enough to compromise his availability in spring training or his upcoming season in St. Louis.
While the Cardinals stumbled to a third-place finish within the NL Central in 2018, Molina turned in another All-Star performance for the team. He completed his 15th campaign in the majors with a .261/.314/.436 batting line, 20 home runs, a .750 OPS, and 2.2 fWAR through 503 plate appearances. The veteran catcher saw a marked improvement from the offensive totals he posted in 2017, but was unexpectedly sidelined for the month of May after taking a 102-MPH foul tip to the groin and undergoing emergency pelvic surgery.