It appears as though St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina is ahead of schedule in his recovery from thumb surgery.
Yadier Molina caught a bullpen today for first time since thumb surgery. #STLCards hopeful he's on a quicker-than-expected path to return.
— Jenifer Langosch (@LangoschMLB) August 14, 2014
The Cardinals are 13-14 since the six-time All-Star hit the disabled list and remain hopeful Molina can return by September to bolster their roster for a playoff run.
St. Louis enters play Thursday 2 1/2 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Central, clinging to a wild-card spot with the San Francisco Giants lurking just a half-game back.
Molina was batting .287 with seven homers and 30 RBIs prior to his mid-July surgery, but his game-calling skills are what the Cardinals miss most.
