Cardinals catcher Molina back from virus, starts vs Reds

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina returned to the starting lineup on Thursday night after missing almost three weeks with COVID-19.

The nine-time All-Star was cleared by Major League Baseball to resume activities on Tuesday. He was behind the plate when St. Louis hosted Cincinnati in its first home game at Busch Stadium since July 26.

Catcher Matt Wieters was placed on 10-day injured list with a broken toe.

Molina was one of 10 Cardinals players to contract the virus earlier this month. He worked out for two days in St. Louis while the team played eight games in a five-day span in Chicago beginning on Saturday.

Molina was batting eighth in the opener of a four-game series. He was hitting .222 with one RBI in five games.

The Cardinals were off for 17 days from July 30 to August 15 due to problems caused by the pandemic.

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