Doubts of Yadier Molina's Opening Day Availability Grow

Still sporting a hard cast on his surgically-repaired left thumb, doubts about Yadier Molina's recovery wrapping up by the end of Spring Training are getting louder and louder.

Thumb surgeries are tricky for any player to recover quickly and properly from, but two consecutively on the same thumb for a catcher is a tall task to conquer. But that is exactly what Yadier Molina is trying to do as he races against the clock to be ready for Opening Day. Few teams rely as heavily on their catcher than the Cardinals, so it is understandable that they want to get him back on the field as soon as possible. That unfortunately means that the chances of him pushing himself too hard too early are going to grow as actively as the aforementioned doubts. No one knows Molina's body better than himself though, so assuming he is healthy whenever he does return, a repeat of last year's numbers is a very reasonable expectation. Anything else, even ignoring the surgeries, is not.
Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch