St. Louis Cardinals claim George Kottaras off waivers

Catcher George Kottaras has been claimed off of waivers by the St. Louis Cardinals, according to CBS Sports' Jon Heyman. Kottaras had been designated for assignment by the Cleveland Indians earlier in the week. 

St. Louis learned on Thursday that they would be without their starting catcher, Yadier Molina, for the next 8 to 12 weeks. Molina tore a ligament in his thumb that will require surgery to repair.

The 31-year-old Kottaras had two separate stints with the Indians this year, but still only saw action in 10 games. He had six hits in 27 plate appearances, including three home runs. A .216/.326/.415 career hitter, Kottaras has shown flashes of power and patience at the plate in his career. St. Louis will mark the sixth organization he'll see time with over his seven year career. 

With Molina going down for an extended period of time, the Cardinals were expected to be in the market for an upgrade behind the plate. Tony Cruz serves as an adequate backup to Molina, but isn't a viable everyday option. The organization may still look for another catcher between now and the trade deadline, but in the interim Kottaras would appear to be a suitable upgrade.