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Yadier Molina

Cardinals Place Yadier Molina On IL With Knee Soreness

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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.

Cardinals Place Jordan Hicks On IL With Forearm Strain

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Cardinals righty Jordan Hicks tells reporters, including Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, that he is going on the injured list with a forearm strain. Shortly after Hicks made that reveal, the club announced a batch of roster moves, with catcher Yadier Molina being activated from the bereavement list. Righties Kodi Whitley and Jake Woodford were recalled. To make room for those three on the active roster, Hicks was placed on the IL, while righty Junior Fernandez and catcher Ivan Herrera were optioned to Triple-A.

Any injury to a pitcher’s throwing arm can be a cause for concern, with the terminology of “forearm strain” often being particularly frightening as it can be a precursor to Tommy John surgery. However, the details coming from the club suggest that they aren’t pressing any alarm buttons just yet. Hicks tells reporters, including Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat, that it feels minor compared to his previous injuries, categorizing it as normal soreness that occurs for starting pitchers between outings. (Hicks underwent Tommy John in 2019.) He doesn’t seem to be anticipating a lengthy absence, as he tells Jones that he expects to be back this season, either as a starter or a reliever, depending on the team’s situation in the long run.

Due to injuries to Jack Flaherty and Alex Reyes, the Cardinals had a rotation need to begin the year and decided to transition Hicks from reliever to starter, stretching him out as the season went along. The results haven’t been eye-popping so far, with the fireballer currently sporting a 5.02 ERA over 28 2/3 innings, along with a 23% strikeout rate, 15.9% walk rate and 55.6% grounder rate.

Flaherty and Reyes are both still on the IL and were recently joined by Steven Matz. Prospect Matthew Liberatore has been called up and seems to have taken over a spot in the rotation for now, alongside Adam Wainwright, Dakota Hudson and Miles Mikolas. That still leaves them shorthanded, and the Cards are playing 12 games in the next 11 days thanks to a June 4 doubleheader. Packy Naughton has already been with the big league club this year and could be recalled to help out. Angel Rondon had a good outing for the club earlier this week but was optioned the next day, May 23. Pitchers must stay in the minors for 15 days after being optioned, unless replacing a player going on the IL or if they are acting as the 27th man for a doubleheader. Woodford, recalled today, has made two Triple-A starts this year, though logging only three innings in each of them.

Cardinals Notes: Wainwright, Flaherty, Fernandez

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The Cardinals just keep playing the Cardinal Way. They haven’t been as good as the Brewers, as dramatic as the Cubs, or as divisive as the Reds, but after trouncing Milwaukee last night, the Cardinals are just 1.5 games out of the second wild card spot. It was a familiar pair leading the way as Adam Wainwright and Yadier Molina synced up as the starting battery for the 300th time. They are now the fourth most-prolific duo of all-time, and if they make 25 more starts together, they’ll be at the top of the all-time list.

Unsurprisingly, the Cardinals are planning a one-year extension offer for their longtime ace, whenever he’s ready, writes Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Molina is already locked in for 2022 — his final season before retirement. There are not sufficient superlatives to quantify Wainwright’s standing in baseball, but even isolating his contributions this year, he’s one of the most reliable starters in the game: 27 starts, 176 innings, 2.91 ERA, 3.6 fWAR. The 40-year-old amazingly ranks third in the Majors in innings pitched, behind only Zack Wheeler and Walker Buehler.

In terms of the Cardinals’ other ace, Jack Flaherty could return this season in a bullpen/piggyback role, notes Goold. Just a few weeks ago it seemed that the prudent call would be to shut Flaherty down for the year, but with a wild card spot very much in play, Flaherty could still make an impact. An oblique injury put Flaherty on the 60-day injured list earlier, but after a brief return, he went back on the shelf with a shoulder strain. His return could be a huge boon to the Cardinals in September if he’s able to come back firing on all cylinders.

Junior Fernandez, however, has been shut down for the year with a Grade 2 right lat strain, per MLB.com’s Zachary Silver (via Twitter). The injury will not require surgery, and Fernandez should have no problem getting ready for 2022. The 24-year-old has made 18 appearances out of the pen, tossed 20 2/3 innings, and logged a 5.66 ERA/5.14 FIP.

Molina: 2022 “Will Be My Final Season”

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If there was any doubt after yesterday’s one-year contract extension, Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina confirmed in a press conference today that he plans to retire after the 2022 season. “Yes, yes it will be my final season,” Molina plainly stated (Twitter link via Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch).

That was the expectation the moment the deal was finalized, as president of baseball operations John Mozeliak even called the 2022 campaign Molina’s final season in the team’s press release announcing the extension. Still, it’s notable to hear the player himself publicly confirm as much.

Molina, 39, is well past his peak production but is still delivering offense that falls roughly in line with that of a league-average catcher. He’s batting .259/.304/.375 with eight homers and 16 doubles so far in 2021, walking at a 5.7 percent clip and still striking out at a 15.7 percent rate that is well south of the league average. His 43 percent caught-stealing rate behind the dish is among the best in the game.

It was strange this past offseason to consider the possibility of Molina playing somewhere other than St. Louis, but he reached the free-agent market for the first time in his illustrious career and unsurprisingly drew interest from several clubs. He’ll avoid any speculation of playing for a new club this time around, cementing himself as a lifelong Cardinal with the extension and today’s announcement.

Notably, as Cardinals fans now turn their attention to Adam Wainwright, Molina touched on the subject of his longtime teammate’s future (Twitter link via Zachary Silver of MLB.com). Molina noted that Wainwright lobbied heavily for him to return to St. Louis last offseason. “Now, it’s my turn,” Molina said in reference to Wainwright, adding that he’d “love to finish my career with him.”

Wainwright is also playing the 2021 season on a one-year contract, and he’s said in the past that he’ll need to discuss the matter with his family before determining whether he’ll continue his own career into the 2022 campaign. Through 162 2/3 innings, Wainwright has a 3.10 ERA, three complete games and a shutout. He’ll turn 40 next Monday.

Cardinals Sign Yadier Molina To One-Year Extension

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The Cardinals announced they’ve agreed to a one-year contract extension with Yadier Molina. The ten-time All-Star will remain in St. Louis for the 2022 season on a $10MM salary. Molina is a client of MDR Sports Management.

It’s not surprising the two sides were able to line up on terms, as they were known to be in extension discussions last week. Molina was believed to be seeking a one-year deal that matches or tops the $9MM salary on which he’s playing out the 2021 campaign, and he’s succeeded in landing exactly that. Molina didn’t sign that deal until this past January, and he’d been vocal about wanting to avoid lingering on the free agent market again this time around.

Molina’s no longer the MVP-caliber player he was at his peak, but he’s still a productive regular catcher even at age-39. This season, he’s hitting .259/.304/.376 with eight homers across 365 plate appearances, not far off the .268/.310/.388 slash line he compiled between 2019-20. That’s below-average offensive production overall, but it’s still fine work when considering the toll catching takes on players. Backstops have compiled just a .228/.307/.391 mark around the league. Molina’s offensive output is around par with the league average at the position.

That’s without considering his contributions on the other side of the ball. Molina is regarded as perhaps the best defensive catcher of his generation. As is the case with his bat, Molina’s glove has fallen off somewhat with age, but he’s still unquestionably a plus behind the dish. Molina has cut down seventeen of forty attempted base-stealers this season, a 42.5% rate that’s far better than the 24.4% league average.

In addition to neutralizing the running game, Molina has a reputation as one of the game’s best at the aspects of catching that are difficult or impossible to quantify. His once-elite framing metrics have fallen to around league average, but he still checks in as a viable receiver. And the Cardinals no doubt believe Molina brings intangible value from a leadership perspective to the pitching staff and clubhouse.

While Molina should still bring quite a bit to the table next season, it’s apparent his legacy as one of the best players in franchise history plays into the front office’s eagerness to keep him off the open market. No active player in MLB has been with their current team longer than Molina, who debuted with St. Louis in June 2004. The nine-time Gold Glove award winner was an integral part of the Cardinals’ 2006 and 2011 World Series teams. There’s plenty of reason for the club not wanting to risk a repeat of last offseason’s stalemate.

Molina recently hinted that next year could be the last of his illustrious career, and president of baseball operations John Mozeliak referred to 2022 as Molina’s “final season” in the press release accompanying the announcement of today’s extension. Jon Heyman of the MLB Network (Twitter link) notes that the current expectation for both Molina and the Cardinals is that 2022 will indeed be his final year as a player. If that ultimately proves to be the case, he would retire as the rare one-franchise star.

With Molina wrapped up, the Cardinals figure to turn to Adam Wainwright, another impending free agent who has been in St. Louis for ages. Wainwright made his debut in 2005 and has led the St. Louis rotation for a good portion of the past fifteen years. Despite turning 40 years old this month, Wainwright has been one of the better pitchers in the National League this season. Assuming he wants to keep playing beyond this year, the Cardinals would have every reason to look to hammer out an extension with Wainwright as well.

The Molina extension will push the Cardinals’ estimated 2022 player payroll just north of $90MM, according to Cot’s Baseball Contracts. Nolan Arenado ($35MM if he doesn’t opt out), Paul Goldschmidt ($25.33MM), Miles Mikolas ($17MM) and Paul DeJong ($6.17MM) join Molina as players with notable guaranteed contracts on the books. St. Louis will also have to cover arbitration raises for Jack Flaherty, Harrison Bader, Alex Reyes, Dakota Hudson, and Tyler O’Neill, among others. The Cardinals opened the 2021 season with an estimated $163MM payroll.

St. Louis could look to address the rotation and middle infield this winter. Catcher, where Andrew Knizner has struggled in limited action as Molina’s understudy, would’ve been a question mark in the unlikely event Molina went elsewhere. It seems the Cardinals are prepared to roll with a Molina-Knizner pairing again next season, and top prospect Iván Herrera could be worked into the mix midseason with an eye towards 2023. The lion’s share of playing time behind the plate at Busch Stadium will fall to Molina, as it has for the past sixteen years.

Katie Woo of the Athletic first reported the agreement and its terms.

Cardinals, Yadier Molina Discussing Extension

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Aug. 20: Both Molina and the team are encouraged by the recent talks, per Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, who adds that they’re making progress toward a deal.

Aug. 19: The Cardinals and catcher Yadier Molina are in talks on a one-year extension that would cover the 2022 season, per Katie Woo and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (Twitter link). Molina is earning $9MM on his current one-year contract and is eyeing a guarantee of at least that same amount for next season.

Molina has spoken in the past of playing through his age-40 season, which would be the 2022 campaign. Re-signing him for the 2022 campaign would allow the Cards to use Molina and Andrew Knizner as bridges to catching prospect Ivan Herrera, who’s playing in Double-A as a 21-year-old this season.

Of course, a Molina extension would mean another year of rather sparse usage for the 26-year-old Knizner, who was a fairly well-regarded prospect himself but hasn’t had much of a look in the big leagues thanks to Molina’s heavy workload. Knizner is hitting .177/.295/.257 in 132 plate appearances this year and has just 207 total plate appearances since debuting in 2019.

The 39-year-old Molina, meanwhile, has racked up 353 plate appearances on the season and turned in a .256/.303/.378 batting line with eight home runs and 16 doubles, and he’s even gone 3-for-3 in stolen-base attempts — his first steals since the 2019 campaign. It’s a far cry from his peak production back in 2012, when he turned in an outstanding .315/.373/.501 slash and a career-high 22 home runs in 563 plate appearances, but this year’s production is more or less in line with Molina’s output in 2019-20. Molina’s 86 wRC+ indicates he’s been about 14 percent worse than a league-average hitter over that period of two-plus seasons, but his production is about in line with that of an average Major League catcher.

As usual, Molina has drawn standout marks for his defensive work this season. His 43 percent caught-stealing rate is 17 percent better than the 26 percent league average, and Defensive Runs Saved values him at plus-5 overall. Statcast and FanGraphs feel his framing work has dipped below average, but Molina rates about average in that category over at Baseball Prospectus and has a long track record of excellence in that regard.

Moreover, the Cardinals would surely value Molina’s influence over what can only be a younger pitching staff in 2022. The Cards have relied on a cast of mid- or late-30s starters this summer, due in part to injuries, but next year’s rotation ought to include Jack Flaherty, a returning Dakota Hudson (who’s been out all year after Tommy John surgery) and perhaps touted young arms like Matthew Liberatore and Zack Thompson. Molina’s experience and general receiving skills would be an obvious bonus to any collection of young arms.

From a payroll vantage point, a contract worth $9MM-plus for Molina shouldn’t hamper the Cards’ ability to add this offseason. They currently have about $90MM in guaranteed contracts on the books, which is nearly $80MM shy of their current payroll. That mark doesn’t include forthcoming arbitration raises for Jack Flaherty, Harrison Bader, Alex Reyes, Jordan Hicks, Giovanny Gallegos, Tyler O’Neill or the aforementioned Hudson, but even with those salary boosts the Cardinals will have tens of million in separation from their current payroll level.

It stands to reason that if the Cardinals are serious about hammering out another one-year deal with one franchise cornerstone, they’ll look to do so with the other franchise icon currently on the roster: Adam Wainwright. The 39-year-old right-hander is in the midst of a brilliant season and seemingly showing no signs of slowing down. If he wants to continue his career beyond the current season, the front office will surely explore the possibility of keeping him a lifelong Cardinal.

Molina: Contract Extension With Cardinals Would Be “Awesome”

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Franchise icon Yadier Molina is hoping to work out a contract extension with the Cardinals that keeps him in St. Louis for 2022, he tells Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Molina’s representatives at MDR Sports Management are expected to be in contact with the team relatively soon, Goold reports.

Molina, who is scheduled to reach free agency at the end of the season, tells Goold he’s hoping to play one more year with the Cardinals. The 39-year-old didn’t explicitly say he’d only play for St. Louis, although he did note he considered retirement last offseason amidst some uncertainty about his future with the organization. Molina remained on the open market until early February, fielding some offers from other clubs before returning to the Cardinals on a one-year, $9MM deal. He’s clearly hoping to avoid duplicating that scenario, calling his free agent stay “a tough time” and saying it would be “awesome … to get something done early” this time around.

It seems likely the Cardinals would have interest in brining Molina back. He’s the longest-tenured active MLB player with his current team, having debuted with the Cardinals in June 2004. Molina’s one of the greatest players in franchise history and looks likely to wind up in the Hall of Fame. As with starting pitcher Adam Wainwright, who re-signed for a sixteenth season with St. Louis last offseason, Molina has earned himself a sort of legendary status in the organization. That no doubt plays into the front office’s willingness to keep bringing Molina back, but that’s not to diminish his continued on-field contributions.

Obviously, the ten-time All-Star is no longer the caliber of player he was at his peak. Molina has remained reasonably productive, though, even at his advanced age. The right-handed hitter has put up a .254/.295/.381 line with eight home runs in 319 plate appearances this season, not far off the league average .227/.307/.390 mark for catchers around the league. Despite some nagging health concerns, he’s started 80 of the club’s 107 games behind the plate and ranks sixth leaguewide in plate appearances as a catcher.

It’s a similar story behind the plate. Molina has long been regarded as the sport’s preeminent defensive catcher. Pitch framing metrics suggest he’s now closer to average in that regard, but Molina has cut down a whopping 42.1% of attempted base stealers. By measure of Defensive Runs Saved, he’s been estimated as three runs above average — before accounting for his long-lauded but unquantifiable game calling and leadership acumen.

Should Molina ultimately re-sign, he’d figure to again assume the lion’s share of playing time behind the plate. The Cardinals have Andrew Knizner and Ali Sánchez on the 40-man roster as potential backup options. Top prospect Iván Herrera is also on the 40-man and has picked up his first extended playing time at Double-A this season. Herrera could be a factor at some point in 2022 but he’s been more decent than great in the minors this year (.221/.351/.361 over 302 plate appearances). The organization could prefer to give Herrera, who turned 21 in June, extended playing time at Triple-A Memphis next season before breaking him into the majors later in the year in hopes of his assuming the #1 job by 2023.

Regardless of the long-term succession plan, it seems there’ll be mutual interest between the Cardinals and Molina in moving relatively quickly on an extension to avoid a repeat of last winter’s stalemate. Getting a deal done this summer would solidify the Cards’ catching situation for 2022 while guaranteeing a beloved player returns for his nineteenth — and likely final — season in St. Louis.

NL Injury Notes: Voth, Naquin, Molina, Mets

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Nationals pitcher Austin Voth suffered a broken nose after being hit in the face by a Vince Velasquez pitch.  In the third inning of today’s 12-6 Nats loss to the Phillies, Voth squared to bunt but couldn’t avoid Velasquez’s off-target fastball in time.  Voth did walk off the field under his own power, and Washington manager Davey Martinez told reporters (including Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com) that the right-hander would have his nose reset tonight.

Today was Voth’s first official start of the season, though it was intended as something of a glorified opener/piggyback outing since Voth has worked out of the bullpen all season.  After inconsistent results as a starter over his first three seasons, Voth has delivered strong bottom-line results in the form of a 2.73 ERA over 29 2/3 innings in his multi-inning reliever role, though advanced metrics (like a 92.3% strand rate and a .239 BABIP) indicate some good fortune.

Martinez also related the incident to the league’s efforts to crack down on pitchers’ use of foreign substances on the ball, saying that “you’ll see more [hit by pitches] if we keep messing around with the stuff about the balls.  I understand them trying to clean some stuff up.  But it’s hot, it’s slippery, it’s sweaty.  I know Velasquez didn’t throw in there intentionally, but I’m afraid that if we don’t come up with something unified for everybody, you’ll see a lot more of that.  And that’s a scary feeling.”

More injury updates from the Senior Circuit…

  • Tyler Naquin left Sunday’s 8-7 Reds victory over the Cardinals due to left hamstring tightness.  Naquin took something of an awkward slide into second base in the first inning, and was replaced by a pinch-hitter for his next plate appearance in the top of the third.  Naquin has cooled down after a scorching-hot opening month of the season, but the outfielder still has an impressive .257/.333/.509 slash line and 11 homers over 189 plate appearances while emerging as Cincinnati’s everyday center fielder.  Reds manager David Bell told MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon and other reporters that the removal was precautionary in nature, and Naquin could be back as early as Tuesday for the Reds’ next game.
  • Yadier Molina left yesterday’s game after taking a foul tip off his kneecap, and the veteran catcher wasn’t in today’s Cardinals lineup.  However, manager Mike Shildt told reporters (including Stu Durando of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch) that “it looks like a little-bit-of-rest situation” and that Molina might have been able to play today in the event of an emergency.  The Cards have off-days both tomorrow and Thursday, so Molina might not miss much time even if he does need more than a day to recover.
  • There isn’t much new progress with the status of either Brandon Nimmo or J.D. Davis, as neither Mets regular seems close to a return.  As Mets manager Luis Rojas told The New York Daily News’ Deesha Thosar and other reporters, Nimmo is taking swings but not off a tee or against actual pitches, as he continues to recover from a nerve problem in his left index finger.  Davis isn’t swinging whatsoever, as his sprained left hand will be in a splint for the next few days.  Jonathan Villar is battling a tight hamstring and wasn’t in today’s starting lineup, as Rojas said the team is being cautious with Villar after he was able to come off the bench on both Friday and Saturday.

Yadier Molina Leaves Game Due To Left Knee Contusion

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Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina made an early exit from today’s game due to a left knee contusion.  Reds shortstop Kyle Farmer sent a foul tip off of Molina’s kneecap in the top of the fourth inning, though Molina remained in the game after taking a few moments to walk the pain off.  Andrew Knizner then pinch-hit for Molina in the bottom half of the inning.

It remains to be seen if Molina’s contusion is a day-to-day situation (and an injury not uncommon for a catcher), or if it’s an injury that may require more time off, or an injured-list placement. Molina already missed 11 games this season on the 10-day IL due to a tendon strain in his right foot.

Molina is hitting .277/.314/.493 over 159 plate appearances, with much of that damage coming prior to his IL visit.  He hit a scorching .323/.366/.631 over his first 71 PA, and the veteran backstop has perhaps unsurprisingly cooled off after that big start.

Cardinals Activate Yadier Molina

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The Cardinals have activated Yadier Molina from the 10-day injured list, per the Athletic’s Katie Woo (via Twitter). Molina is in the lineup for today’s game against the Rockies. Molina last appeared in a game on April 26th.

Ali Sanchez has been optioned to Triple-A. Sanchez, 24, made just one start, going 1-for-3 with a double. Most of the playing time has been taken by Andrew Knizner, the presumptive catcher of the future, should Molina ever slow down. The 26-year-old Knizner has slashed .208/.276/.264 through 58 plate appearances.

As for Molina, he’ll continue in his 18th career season. When we saw him last, he was as good as he’s ever been with the stick, slashing .326/.366/.631 with five home runs in 71 plate appearances.

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