The St. Louis Cardinals were officially eliminated from the postseason by the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday, and now it's time to heal up and get ready for next season.
That's exactly what veteran catcher Yadier Molina is going to do, beginning Thursday when he undergoes surgery on his injured left thumb.
Molina will go without baseball activity for 8-to-12 weeks after the surgery.
"Had we not been a playoff team, we maybe would have dealt with it three weeks ago," general manager John Mozeliak told reporters of Molina's surgery. "But it shows you how tough he is and how willing he was to help us."
The 33-year-old, who caught 136 games in the regular season, missed the deciding Game 4 of the National League Division Series after being a late scratch.
Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said prior to Tuesday's contest that the backstop was in immense pain and could barely grip a bat, so he was replaced by backup Tony Cruz.
Molina, a clubhouse favorite who is considered one of the game's top catchers, hit .270/.310/.350 with four home runs and 61 RBIs, while throwing out 41 percent of runners who attempted to steal in 2015.
