Yadier Molina Injury: Updates on Cardinals Star's Knee and Return

The St. Louis Cardinals received an injury scare on Friday as All-Star catcher Yadier Molina took a foul tip off his knee and was forced to leave the game. However, he was back in the lineup for Monday's game against the Philadelphia Phillies.

Continue for updates.

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Molina Returns vs. Phillies

Monday, April 27

The team confirmed that Molina returned to the lineup for the team's game against the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday:

The Cardinals announced that Molina left Friday's game as a precaution and was day-to-day. He then missed Saturday's game against the Milwaukee Brewers before returning on Monday.

Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com reported on how he suffered the injury, writing that Molina "went down after taking Aramis Ramirez's 2-1 foul ball off his gear with two outs in the fourth. Molina was slow to get up and moved around gingerly while shooing Martinez back to the mound. The young pitcher had come in to check on his catcher."

Langosch also provided an update on his status after Friday's game:

Molina dealt with injuries during the 2014 campaign and only played 110 games. However, the 32-year-old still managed to capture his seventh Gold Glove and earn a nod as a National League All-Star.

So far this season, Molina is without a home run but hitting .306 with seven RBI.

His ability to control the game and throw base stealers out from behind the plate is unparalleled, as Baseball-Reference.com indicates he's finished in the top three in the National League in caught-stealing percentage nine times since 2005. He is also a potent source of offense for St. Louis.

If the Cardinals hope to contend for a World Series title, they need Molina healthy behind the plate throwing out runners and calling the game for the pitching staff.