A familiar face will be in the St. Louis Cardinals’ dugout on Friday night when they begin a weekend series at home against the Chicago Cubs (GameTracker). Longtime catcher Yadier Molina, who retired after the 2022 season, will be in uniform to serve as a member of the coaching staff for two games at the behest of manager Oliver Marmol.
“It’s the right thing to do for our players, our staff, and for our fan base,” Marmol told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Friday. “I want to have him around. I love the fact that he’ll be in the dugout for two days. I think it will be awesome for players and for fans, for all of it, to have him here.”
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The timing, while odd, is not as random as it appears: Molina happens to be in town for a different appearance. The Post-Dispatch reports that Marmol attempted to lure Molina into coaching after his retirement. Molina declined, not wanting to make such a commitment at the time. (Marmol, it should be noted, is reportedly under contract through the 2026 season — a dynamic that will likely come up more this winter, when Chaim Bloom takes over day-to-day baseball operations.)
Molina, 43, appeared in parts of 19 big-league seasons, all for the Cardinals. He hit .277/.327/.399 (96 OPS+) with 176 home runs and 41.7 Wins Above Replacement. Additionally, he made 10 All-Star Games and won nine Gold Glove Awards and a pair of World Series championships.
The Cardinals will enter Friday’s game with a 58-58 record on the year, putting them 5 ½ games back of the closest playoff spot in the National League. The Cardinals are just 11-19 since the start of July, reducing their chances of making a real run at the postseason.
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