Cardinals place Yadi on IL with thumb injury, summon Knizner from Memphis
ST. LOUIS – A right thumb tendon strain has landed All-Star and Gold Glove catcher Yadier Molina on the 10-day injured list.
The move by the Cardinals is retroactive to May 29. The team purchased the contract of Andrew Knizner from Triple-A Memphis, adding the rookie catcher to its active roster for Friday night’s game against the Cubs.
This marks only the sixth stint on the IL in Molina’s 16-year major league career.
Molina, 36, had been a regular in the lineup all season, starting 49 of 53 games through Tuesday. He is batting .265 with four home runs and 33 RBIs.
Knizner, 24, has been the starting catcher in Memphis, batting .286 with five home runs, 17 RBIs and eight doubles in 37 games. The 24-year-old was a seventh-round draft pick by the Cardinals in 2016 out of North Carolina State.
Defensively, Knizner has thrown out 17 of 32 attempted base stealers (53.1%) this season. His 17 runners caught leads all Triple-A catchers.
