St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina expects to be in the lineup Thursday, the first day he's eligible to come off the 15-day disabled list from a right knee strain.
He wants to play every day again, too.
Molina worked out on the field for the third straight day before Wednesday's game against the Pirates and said everything felt good.
The Cardinals had been 6-7 without their perennial All-Star and trailed Pittsburgh by two games.
Molina was second in the National League with a .330 average, along with eight homers and 54 RBIs.
Backup Tony Cruz was batting .219 with a homer and 11 RBIs.