Yadier Molina injury: Cardinals catcher exits with wrist soreness

The Cardinals have announced that all-star catcher Yadier Molina exited Monday's contest against the Reds due to wrist soreness. He is currently day-to-day, leaving open the possibility that he will miss the remainder of St. Louis' series against the rival Cincinnati Reds.

Molina missed time earlier in 2013 due to a right knee sprain that resulted in a stint on the disabled list. As it's September, he's unlikely to head back to the DL even if his wrist turns out to be a more serious problem than a simple day-to-day issue, as expanded rosters mean they can cover for him without having to remove him from the roster. The Cardinals need him back as soon as possible, though, as their backup catchers have not performed well, nor often: even with the 16 games he's missed with injury, Molina has still appeared in 113 contests for St. Louis, with 110 games behind the plate.

The five-time all-star was batting .329/.367/.488 with a 136 OPS+ entering play on Monday. The Cardinals are currently tied for first place in the NL Central with the Pirates, as well as for the first wild card in the National League, while sitting 3.5 games ahead of the Reds in each race.