Pena thrilled with rehab progress

ST. LOUIS — Injured Cardinals catcher Brayan Pena described Friday as “a big step for my recovery” after wrapping up a rehab session that included his first swings since undergoing left knee surgery in early April.

Pena, a switch-hitter, received clearance to hit off the tee before Friday’s series opener against the Pirates and took 60 swings from the left side and another 60 from the right side. He also threw at a distance of 120 feet and then moved to the treadmill, where he ran at 75 percent effort for about 20 minutes. Pena completed each task without issue.

“After doing everything I did today, and for me to finish on the treadmill without feeling any pain or soreness, it was very good,” Pena said. “They say that I’m a little bit ahead of schedule. I wasn’t expecting to hit this soon, and for me to go out there and hit the way I did, I felt like a 20-year-old again.”

Pena will attempt to repeat the rotation of exercises on Saturday to make sure he’s …

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