The Cardinals are planning to place catcher Yadier Molina on the injured list tomorrow, reports Katie Woo of The Athletic. Molina has been battling knee soreness this year and will be sidelined for “at least a few weeks.” Catching prospect Ivan Herrera will be recalled to take his place on the active roster.
Molina, 39, is a career-long Cardinal, having been drafted by the team in the year 2000. In August of last year, he and the team agreed to a one-year, $10MM extension, with Molina announcing the next day that 2022 would be his final season. It hasn’t exactly been the dream season that he and the club likely hoped for, as he has slumped to a .213/.225/.294 batting line on the campaign so far. That amounts to a wRC+ of just 47, though it seems quite likely that the knee issues are having an impact on that, as Woo reports that he’s been dealing with this soreness all year.
According to the report, Molina received multiple cortisone shots last weekend to try and quell the soreness. While the club wanted a 48-hour grace period to let the shots take effect, Molina evidently lobbied his way out of the confines of that timetable. He then caught games on Tuesday and Wednesday this week, though apparently the issue hasn’t abated enough for him to continue playing.
With Molina on the shelf, the Cardinals will now turn to a couple of other options for catching duties, both of which come with unknowns. Andrew Knizner has formed the other part of the club’s catching tandem this year, though hasn’t impressed much, producing a .198/.283/.257 line, 63 wRC+. Woo spoke to Cardinals manager Oli Marmol about Knizner’s disappointing results so far, despite getting more playing time with Molina’s knee issues. “When you’re backing up Yadi in the previous years, that’s tough,” Marmol said. “Now that (Knizner) is actually in there three times a week, four times a week, the expectations are no longer ‘trying to find my timing.’ You’re getting a real opportunity, so the expectations are different. He knows that. Now, he’s just got to get going.”
Joining Knizner on the roster will be Herrera, who is considered by many to be one of the top 100 prospects in baseball by FanGraphs, Keith Law of The Athletic and Kiley McDaniel of ESPN. He was briefly called up to the big leagues earlier this year when Molina went on the bereavement list, but got into just one game and didn’t make a plate appearance. Apart from that, he’s spent the year in Triple-A, putting up an impressive .291/.388/.436 line for a 125 wRC+. He’ll now get a proper chance to see if he can carry his skills over to the majors, though it’s quite common for prospects to struggle in their first tastes of major league action, even the highly-regarded ones.
This situation now presents a big unknown for the Cardinals that will need to be resolved in the coming weeks. The club is currently atop the NL Central division standings with a 37-28 record, though it’s far from a secure perch. They are just a game and a half ahead of a Brewers team that is one game behind the Giants for the final Wild Card spot, coming into tonight. With the trade deadline now just six weeks away, the Cards will have to decide if their in-house options are sufficient enough to carry them through the final few months of the season. Of course, much of that will depend on how Molina’s knees recover and how Knizner and Herrera fare over the next stretch of play, though if none of that trio seem capable of taking the job, it’s possible the Cards will have to look for outside help.
Yadi won’t be making the trip to Fenway this weekend kind of sucks, especially with Wacha vs Wainwright for the first game
Maybe not, but he’ll be making the trip to Cooperstown eventually.
nope
Yes he will.
Anyone who says Yadier Molina isn’t a Hall of Fame catcher either hasn’t been paying attention since 2004, or doesn’t know how many gold gloves and platinum gloves he’s won? He never did win a MVP award, but that’s not due to lack of talent. I believe Ivan Herrera will succeed him. Yadier Molina is a legend
@HippyRipper Or maybe their knowledge of baseball is limited, or it’s all of the things you said + what I said.
Key word, eventually. Veterans committee. Until then we’ll get his usual rants about baseball being racist and how he’s the best C of all time garbage.
Wouldn’t shock me to see him go in first ballot with Albert honestly.
Really, really hope this is a minimal stay. It would be a huge disappointment if him and Waino don’t get the chance to break the starts record
Could be a way to give Yadi some rest.. while showcasing Ivan Herrera for the rest of MLB.. If a starter is to be had.. the Red Birds could considered Herrera as the headliner..
Zero chance of trading Herrera. He’s their catcher of the future.
While that may be true, Carson Kelly and Andrew Knizner were both at one point their long term catchers of the future. I wouldn’t be slotting Herrera to be taking over Molina’s spot for the long run quite yet.
Herrera may not end up winning the role, but he’ll be given the opportunity.
But this time Molina really is retiring isn’t he? They need to hold on to their catching prospect.
marmol is a puppet
Marmol is doing a great job. Your a puppet!
@notnamed, I think most will write this comment off as trolling, but I’m curious as to whether there really is something to this. I’ve wondered from the beginning if Marmol was simply put in this position because Mo was tired of dealing with strong-willed, experienced managers. This is no knock on Marmol’s abilities at all because he’s gotten results.
Marmol is questionable at the best to this point. Giving him the benefit of the doubt, has hasn’t had much experience in handling a pitching staff. He definitely has had his screw ups there!
I’m still hacked the way he disciplined Bader for not running out a sure out ground out. Like Arenaldo occasionally does. (Wonder why he hasn’t gotten the same discipline?)
Lol you want them to trade their future catcher…they are not trading for a starter….they have Flaherty, Mikolas, Waino, Hudson and Matz…with Liberatore, woodford, Pallenta and Oviedo to spot start…I wish cardinals fans would get over this we need a starter thing
Doesn’t have to be a starter.,.. could be a shortstop.. using Herrera as the headliner.. or Knizner?..
Herrera is NOT being traded.
The infield is great. SS is definitely not a need. Have you been watching?
Knizner couldn’t headline a trade for a player to be named later
DeJong is tearing up Memphis the last month. I doubt they’re trading for a SS either.
Waino/Yadi tandem won’t extend the record too much further 🙁
Most overrated player of all time
Most inaccurate comment of all time
A career OPS+ of 98, yet Cards fans insist he’s a HOFr.
For the beginners out there, an OPS+ of 100 is AVERAGE.
Yes, a good catcher who’s an average hitter is a plus. However, it doesn’t get you in the HOF.
My mistake. Molina has a career OPS+ of 96.
I guess I overrated him also.
Yeah, and Ozzie Smith had career OPS+ of 87.
Smith has over 30 more WAR than Molina. A lot of room to criticize the stat on that one though. Seems to way undervalue the catching position while overrating SS.
Average career batting with arguably the best defensive catcher at the most demanding position in the sport. Add to the fact that he is league average for a position that, in the modern age, is a offensive black hole. Plus intangibles, leadership, game calling, yeah he makes it in the hall
His defense is extremely overrated.
Probably gets in, but he deserves to wait until after Posey and Mauer are inducted. And it would be good to see Freehan and Munson get in, too.
Yadi will probably complain if he doesn’t get in first ballot.
intangibles don’t have a stat line
He’s the best of all time!
He will be inducted with his good buddy Albert Puhols 1st Ballot. Book it!
You clearly just started watching baseball Mike. Yadi we Molina is rated by Fangraphs DEF stat as the best defender in the history of Major League Baseball. At any position. Passed fellow Cardinal Ozzie Smith to take that top spot. Not sure how you can overrate literally the best there ever was.
Can’t really count Yadi the best because Fangraphs tacked on all his framing runs. Catchers that weren’t playing in the last dozen years get zero credit for framing. But Russell Martin, Brian McCann, and Yadi shoot up the fWAR list because they get extra credit.
Ah, excellent point Donny! I wonder how that would’ve impacted Thurman who is already at 46 WAR, or Yogi, Bench, etc.
No he won’t. He’ll take things as they come. If the Hall is in his future he will be honored at any point it comes.
Framing is not included in the DEF stat.
I would guess framing is included in Def when Russell Martin is ranked 7th all-time and Brian McCann is ranked 10th. They are the two with more framing runs than Yadi.
If Yadi is HOF, then open the door for others.
Right, Donny, it has taken 2184 games for Yadi to amass 42.0 WAR
Compare with:
Posada 42.7 in 1829
Munson 46.1 in 1423
Freehan 44.8 in 1774
Kendall 41.7 in 2085
Plus, much of Yadi’s WAR is via the more subjective defensive side.
Well, your guess is wrong, look up the stat. It does not include framing in how it is calculated.
None of these guys weren’t particularly good catchers, but they could hit. It’s why they aren’t hall of famers, there are tons of better hitters than these guys when you compare with the rest of the positions. Yadi is the best of the best as a catcher, which is much more unique. Hitting catchers don’t fit that category unless they can outhit the entire rest of the field, not just the position.
That glossary entry for Def is from 2014. It just says fielding runs above average plus positional adjustment.
For catchers, Fangraphs added framing to its WAR calculation in 2019 which includes fielding runs above average. In the comments section of the framing article, David Appleman admitted that career comparisons for catcher are not apples-to-apples due to inclusiin of framing runs.
https://blogs.fangraphs.com/war-update-catcher-framing/
Mauer shouldn’t even be in at all He was only a catcher for 60% of his career at bats. His numbers as a 1B/DH aren’t anywhere close to Hall of Fame worthy.
Posey should be in and he’ll be a good litmus test the year before Yadi is eligible. If Posey goes in 1st ballot so will Yadi.
@earmbrister..You must be the beginner here…look at all the records he is breaking this year for catchers lol…it’s funny you being condescending but actually you look like the moron
A no doubt 1st ballot Hall of Famer!
Okay, for those citing Yadi’s offense as sub-par, thus not deserving of HOF candidacy, I remind you that you are comparing him to the average position player/DH. His OPS+ of 96 is [well above average] for his position, which is what matters, especially considering his defensive prowess.
In terms of his defense, to say it is overrated is confounding. I am a diehard Yankees fan, so I have no dog in this fight.
Themed will be complaining when Yadi doesn’t make it in first ballot, too.
@yankeeclipper…people just want to argue and really have no clue so just ignore them…everyone I have ever heard who knows baseball says he is a sure HOF…but let these idiots make a fool of themselves
Cards81: Man, I am not sure how anyone can honestly say the guy sucks. It’s cool though that he just passed Pudge for most put-outs, man. That’s quite an achievement. Pudge was such a great catcher for so long.
You guys have one heck of a team, but Goldie is on another level. That guy is an absolute monster at the plate. Roughly .350 with 16HRs already? And he doesn’t look like he’s slowing down at all either. The guy is just awesome.
Thanks @yankeeClipper…I’m hoping for a yankee- cardinals WS…the most winning organizations of both leagues…the cardinals need Flaherty to come back to form and maybe add a bullpen arm at the deadline…but if they do that and make the playoffs they have every bit of a chance than any other team…they have great depth and it’s only getting better…Cardinals fans are excited about Herrera and Walker…that’s not even mentioning Winn…not to mention what Gorman, Liberatore and Donovan have already done…the Cardinals have a Bright future and will be continuing their winning ways far into the future
Yeah, that would be amazing for baseball! Two outstanding organizations in the WS?! Heck yeah.
As far as your youth – they’re impressive. Herrera is going to be exciting to see, but I think I’ve been most impressed with Donovan this year, just because his bat-to-ball skills have been so good so far. Gorman obviously has some legit power….yeah, lots of guys to be excited about.
I’m curious to see how they rotate Gorman/Donovan/Walker in between Arenado & Edman – what a great problem to have when they are all up, right?
Well, good luck, Cards, hopefully Flaherty can stay healthy from here on out because that would be huge for your rotation too!
I’m guessing it’s jealous cub fans saying he sucks. They know all about sucking.
If Yadi is HOF, then open the door for others.
It has taken 2184 games for Yadi to amass 42.0 WAR
Compare with:
Posada 42.7 in 1829
Munson 46.1 in 1423
Freehan 44.8 in 1774
Kendall 41.7 in 2085
Plus, much of Yadi’s WAR is via the more subjective defensive side.
Longevity is also a factor, which is why Munson still isn’t in the Hall.
I read this in Gilbert Gottfried’s voice.
How about you use fangraphs WAR which actually includes framing and catcher defense instead of using B-Ref which doesn’t consider defense much at all.
55.7 WAR all time for Yadi which is 10th overall.
He’s controlled the running game in a way that no other catcher ever has. Bill James thinks he’s likely worth another 200-300 runs over his career because that impact is immeasurable right now. That’s another 15-20 WAR by itself.
marmol has no respect for knizner, pinch hits for him consistently, then has to use molina
Because he’s been terrible on both defense and offense. He’s like the worst in MLB at framing since entering the league and his once promising looking bat in the minors has devolved into straight garbage. He’s 27 already and is entering Tony Cruz territory.
you can’t produce if not given the chance in key situations
You also can’t produce if you can’t hit. That’s Knizner’s problem. Do you really need to see him fail in big spots in order to consider this?
That would be ideal for his development, but a contending team can’t risk losing ballgames to afford him those opportunities. If he wants more playing time, then he needs to produce with the chances that he does get.
Man I can’t wait for the tears in a few years when Yadi doesn’t get in 1st ballot. Mauer was better and might not get in, yet Yadi is 1st ballot. cap season out here in full force.
Might not be 1st ballot but definitely getting in…don’t be jealous just appreciate his game
Mauers career was a flash in the pan comparatively. Came into the league after and retired much before Yadier Molina who keeps breaking historical records like Most put outs by a catcher. He for sure is a hall of famer catcher, the best defensive catcher to ever play the game deserving of first ballot honors, will it happen, not up to me or you, if you don’t want it to happen best pull your best Joe Morgan to Barry Bonds impersonation and write the writers who vote on it
Yeah ok…genius.
DarkSide: Do you believe he’s not getting voted in at all? Or just not 1st ballot? If not, why? Just curious as to your primary reasoning.
I think he’s a HOF candidate because of his defensive acumen, primarily. He won the platinum glove four times. But, I also believe Thurman Munson deserves to be in the HOF even though he only had 10 years (but accumulated 46 WAR still!). Jorge Posada is sitting right about where Yadi is in WAR also….
You stated exactly why Yadi is borderline. Posada, for example, was arguably a better player and was bounced on the 1st ballot. Same case for Varitek, who was a little less of a defender and played for a few years less, but he only got a few votes. AJ Pierzynski is another longevity case with a great bat who compares well from BBREF’s perspective, and he was also just .5%. Maybe Yadi is better than these guys, but how much so? The issue is the Hall is extremely hard on catchers historically – only two went 1st ballot, and there are only 19 total. I think there’s no way Yadi falls of the ballot and he certainly could get in in 10, I just think it’s far from certain as many say. I would say he seems a lock to get in eventually though, even over Mauer or Posey – one of the committes should put him in. I just don’t think his year-to-year numbers are enough to convince 75% of voters.
Posada has 40 career WAR. Yadi has 55 (75 if you believe Bill James is accurate on his assessment of how many wins Yadi’s run game suppression is worth).
Posada was certainly a better hitter but he wasn’t anywhere close to the all around catcher that Yadi is.
BREF WAR doesn’t include any advanced catcher metrics at all so it basically doesn’t give Yadi credit for any of the things he was great at. Why would you use it to compare catchers?
No way Mauer was better. Idiotic statement.
Mauer stopped catching full time after 2010. He might be in the discussion if he hadn’t played 1B for 40% of his career.
He shouldn’t even make the Hall though he probably will.
Damn it, Yadier. I just got a cortisone shot in my own knee two weeks ago and the orthopedic surgeon told me directly it takes up to 5 days to take effect. Why the hell is he in the line up 2 days later just to be out now several weeks?
This is just a way for that cheater to get handicap license plates so he can park wherever he wants.
Could trade for Wilson Contrera
I’m not a stats guy, but there has to be a way to compare Yadi to Jeter as far as their careers as compared to other players at their position and in their era.
I grew up watching Jeter and never felt like I was watching a hall of famer from a pure talent standpoint. He was good, but when someone talked about what made him great it was always, “leadership, presence, competitiveness, consistency, winning.” That seems to be the same with Yadi. Yadi’s teams didn’t win near as much in terms of championships but we’re talking about someone with similar intangibles. Jeter’s intangibles made him a first-ballot HOF’er and Yadi’s Will too.
I’m sorry but I totally disagree. I watched Jeter’s entire career as well and the only comparison you can make is that they played their whole career with the same team. Early in Jeter’s career he was an offensive force and a very good defender early on. Yadi has been a great defender and a class act but nowhere near Jeter in any way shape or form. And this comes from a Met fan. Yadi had that homer off Heilman but it certainly wasn’t the flip play or the Mr November home run. Apples and oranges.
Yadi is the best defensive player ever, no matter the position. He passed Ozzie in defensive value last season.
Jeter is the worst defensive short stop of all time. Jeter was never a good defender. Heck most of the time he wasn’t even average.
If Yadi is HOF, then open the door for others.
It has taken 2184 games for Yadi to amass 42.0 WAR
Compare with:
Posada 42.7 in 1829
Munson 46.1 in 1423
Freehan 44.8 in 1774
Kendall 41.7 in 2085
Plus, much of Yadi’s WAR is via the more subjective defensive side.
Harold Baines’ election to the Hall of Fame completely changed the bar. It took him 22 seasons, 2830 games to “amass” a career WAR of 38.8. Dang Placido Polanco is a shade under 42.
All that aside—-Yadi, by this generation, is a Hall of Famer…..at the very top or very near for a solid 10+ years.
You might have noticed that I was comparing catchers. At a minimum, Munson, Posada & Freehan are more HOF-worthy than Mr. 96 OPS+ and 42 WAR compiled — yes, compiled — over 700, 300 and 400 more games, respectively, than the three more worthy HOF catchers.
Of course I did—just was pointing out some of the inequities of the Hall as Baines was elected in by the senile committee—which just happened to be championed by Jerry Reinsdorf and Tony laRussa when he got in.
The only question hanging over Yadi will be which is longer: his acceptance speech or his time to first on a ground out to short.
Baines did not change the bar. It was a mistake and everyone knows it. Otherwise everyone gets in. Baines’ selection was egregious.
I wonder how much of this is saving his knees for the second half while getting Herrera a look while he’s hitting well. and Yadi’s struggling.
I’m sorry but I totally disagree. I watched Jeter’s entire career as well and the only comparison you can make is that they played their whole career with the same team. Early in Jeter’s career he was an offensive force and a very good defender early on. Yadi has been a great defender and a class act but nowhere near Jeter in any way shape or form. And this comes from a Met fan. Yadi had that homer off Heilman but it certainly wasn’t the flip play or the Mr November home run. Apples and oranges.
Sometimes a player gets to the HOF, because they get some extra votes from writers due to character, longevity and contribution to the game along with statistics that are on the fringe of qualifying. Someone like Yadi the stats don’t exactly measure up offensively, but defensively most pale in comparison. An easy argument could be made that the Cardinals would not have won any WS championships without Yadi.
Cardinals don’t win it all without David Freese but he ain’t getting in.
He’s a sure fire 1st ballot Hall of Famer! No questions ask. Sit back and enjoy the ride!