Slumping Molitor Uncertain of Future

Paul Molitor, a 38-year-old designated hitter with one home run, has a couple of nagging injuries and is considering surgery. And he doesn’t have a guaranteed contract with Toronto for next season.

Just how much baseball is left for him?

“We’ll see,” Molitor said Monday. “I’m not trying to live past this season. I’m not out there trying to play for numbers or professional goals.

“It’s a matter of do I still love the game, the competition and feel like I can be a productive player. To this point, it’s been disappointing, but I don’t feel my production is over.”

The lifetime .307 hitter was hitting .237 before Monday night’s game against Boston.

“No matter how much experience you’ve had or successes you’ve had, you still find yourself going through that doubt period where you start to wonder: ‘Is it the age thing? Am I losing my coordination? What’s it going to take to come out of it?’ You just have to remind yourself to stay positive and fight off those attempts by your subconscious that tell you you can’t hit anymore.”

Batting coach Larry Hisle said Molitor needs some positive reinforcement.

“Confidence wavers,” Hisle said. “There’s peaks and valleys. You have to condition yourself when you step in that batter’s box, good things are going to happen.”

Molitor had an 11-game hitting streak heading into Monday night’s game, and he finally got his first homer Sunday against Kansas City.