Cardinals activate Yadi, place Wieters on IL (toe)

The St. Louis Cardinals roster is starting to look a bit more normal — whatever “normal” is these days — with the return of perhaps the face of the franchise.

With the team back home for the first time since the season’s opening weekend, Yadier Molina — one of the 10 players who had been sidelined by COVID-19 — has been deemed ready for work. The Cardinals activated the All-Star catcher from the injured list in advance of Thursday night’s homestand opener against the Cincinnati Reds.

In other moves, the Cardinals optioned pitcher Nabil Crismatt to the club’s alternate training site in Springfield, recalled pitcher Jake Woodford from Springfield and placed backup catcher Matt Wieters on the 10-day IL with a left great toe contusion.

The Cardinals are coming off an eight-game, five-day trip to Chicago, where they went 4-4 against the White Sox and Cubs in a stretch that included three doubleheaders. It was their first action in over two weeks as the organization dealt with the coronavirus outbreak.