Yadi scheduled to begin rehab stint on Thursday

At long last, the Cardinals have some certainty as to when franchise icon Yadier Molina will appear behind the plate again.

The Cardinals are targeting Thursday in Memphis for Molina to start a Minor League rehab stint, Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak told MLB.com on Monday. The 40-year-old catcher, who has spent the entirety of his 19-year career with the Cardinals, will catch for the Triple-A Redbirds as they face the Norfolk Tides.

If all goes well in Molina’s multiple starts as a catcher and DH, the Cardinals have a tentative MLB return date set for Aug. 2. Not only is that the start of a home series against the rival Cubs, but it is a date when veteran pitcher Adam Wainwright is scheduled to start. Wainwright and Molina are the winningest starting battery in MLB history with 207 wins, and they have the second-most combined starts at 316. They need eight more starts together to tie the Major League record of 324 set by the Tigers' Mickey Lolich and Bill Freehan.

Molina, who has been on the injured list with an inflamed right knee since June 17, flew from Puerto Rico to St. Louis on Sunday, was examined by the team’s medical staff on Monday and is scheduled for two days of cardiovascular and baseball simulated drills.

“The medical staff feels that he is in a really good spot,” Mozeliak said of Molina.

Mozeliak also said that the franchise has a bit of optimism that left-handed pitcher Steven Matz might be able to avoid season-ending surgery after suffering a tear in the medial collateral ligament of his left knee on Saturday. An MRI revealed the tear on Sunday and Matz met with team orthopedist Dr. George Paletta on Monday to determine the severity of the injury. If the injury can be healed through rest and rehab, Matz could possibly return to the mound for the Cardinals in September. Mozeliak said the franchise will have a better idea about next steps later in the week following more consultations with the medial staff.

Molina, who previously announced this would be his final MLB season, has been bothered by persistent knee pain since Spring Training. When that pain became too much to play effectively, Molina was placed on the IL and Mozeliak agreed to let the veteran catcher rehabilitate near his family in Puerto Rico.

In just 40 games early in the season, Molina hit .213 with two home runs and 10 RBIs. On June 14 in a game against the Pirates, Molina tracked down a popup in foul territory to become baseball’s all-time leader in putouts among catchers. His 14,865th putout pushed him ahead of Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez.

The Cardinals, who had Monday off after losing two of three in Cincinnati over the weekend, have struggled all season to get much production out of their catching position. In addition to Molina’s knee issues, reserves Andrew Knizner (.204 BA in 61 games), Austin Romine (.136 in nine games) and highly acclaimed rookie Ivan Herrera (.111 in 11 games) have struggled mightily.

Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol recently stressed, “Yadi makes everyone around him better,” and the rookie manager will undoubtedly be excited about the return of the franchise’s predominant catcher over the past 19 seasons. Marmol is hopeful that a healthy and refreshed Molina can add length to the Cardinals lineup.

“For us to be the team that we want to be,” Marmol said, “we’re going to need production out of all the spots in our lineup.“