JUPITER, Fla. • Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina, recovering from two surgeries to repair a torn ligament in his left thumb, has begun swinging a bat while hitting baseballs off a tee.

But perhaps more importantly, Molina could catch an inning or two as early as Wednesday, manager Mike Matheny said, when the Cardinals play the Miami Marlins. "It's not impossible," said Matheny.

Matheny said the Cardinals would have to get "creative" with the lineup and the designated hitter to get Molina innings behind the plate as the spring goes on. He is not ready to hit yet.

Molina said Tuesday morning that he was close to being able to catch and that his tee work had gone well, with the next steps hitting in the cage and then off Cardinals pitchers in batting practice.

Carlos Martinez threw to some hitters, including catcher Brayan Pena, on Tuesday morning. He said he would make his first spring start on Friday here against Atlanta.

Memphis pitching coach Bryan Eversgerd, the former Cardinals lefthanded reliever who was monitoring the session while the big-league staff was in Fort Myers, was impressed with Martinez's work.