Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina to miss 8-12 weeks

St. Louis Cardinals All-Star catcher Yadier Molina will be out 8-12 weeks because of a torn ligament in his thumb.

Molina injured his thumb in the second inning of the Cardinals game on Wednesday after sliding into third-base feet first and grabbing the base to stop himself. He would catch the next inning before leaving the game, according to MLB.com.

General manager John Mozeliak told MLB.com that they were losing a leader with Molina’s injury, but they will find a way to perceiver.

“Its unfortunate,” Mozeliak said. “Obviously, when you lose a player of his skill set and leadership, it’s tough. But the game doesn’t stop and we’ll keep going.

Molina will have surgery on Friday, according to USA Today.

This year Molina, a six-time Gold Glove winner, was batting .287 with seven home runs and 30 RBIs. He also leads the MLB in caught-stealing percentage at 49.

The Cardinals are 50-42 and are two games back of the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central. Last year the Cardinals won the National League pennant.