ST. LOUIS _ Before the clock strikes midnight on 2018, the Cardinals expect catcher Yadier Molina to return to his offseason workouts after recovering from knee surgery Thursday to remove a bone spur.
Molina elected to have a procedure that removed a growth, or osteophyte, in his left knee joint that had caused him discomfort at times during the season. The spur would restrict movement in the joint or cause irritation that led to swelling, and Molina during the season suggested that he would have the knee examined at some point this offseason.
The Cardinals expect Molina to take two weeks to recover from the surgery and then return to his normal offseason workouts, general manager Michael Girsch wrote in an email.
Molina, 36, had his fourth consecutive season with at least 1,000 innings behind the plate despite missing more than a month to recover from emergency surgery to repair an injury near his groin. He won his ninth Gold Glove Award and finished the season with 20 home runs and 74 RBIs in 123 games.
The Cardinals traded his backup, rookie Carson Kelly, to Arizona with two other players for Paul Goldschmidt, and that has put the club in the market for a catcher who can spell Molina.
