In a surprising and fun development, the St. Louis Cardinals announced that Yadier Molina will return to the dugout for two nights this weekend.

Derrick Goold of the Post-Dispatch shared a story earlier this morning that manager Oli Marmol invited Molina to join the staff in uniform on Friday and Saturday when the Cardinals host the Chicago Cubs. Molina was already going to be in town for a special event and Marmol saw that as an opportunity to bring him back to Busch for the first time since he retired in 2022.

The catcher spent the entirety of his professional career with the St. Louis organization, coming in as a fourth-round draft pick in 2000 before cementing himself as an all-time great during his 19-year big league career. While with the Cardinals, Molina was a ten-time All-Star, a nine-time Gold Glove Award winner, a four-time recipient of the Platinum Glove Award, and a Silver Slugger to add on to his two World Series championships. His Hall of Fame future is somehow a debate outside of St. Louis but it would be a surprise if one of the best to ever do it did not end up in Cooperstown.

John Denton shared a quote from Marmol where the Cardinals manager praised Molina and the former catcher’s presence being a main reason for the invite. Interestingly, Bernie Miklasz followed up with Molina’s dugout visit and said that Molina would not be in uniform if it was up to John Mozeliak. The whole story can be seen on STL Sports Central, but Bernie stated that Molina and Mozeliak are not fond of each other but the decision for Molina to be back at Busch was deferred to Marmol, who of course embraced the opportunity.

The Cardinals are in a transition period, both during this season and during next offseason, as they build towards a future under Chaim Bloom. Marmol is currently under contract through the 2026 season, but there has not been much noise from the front office about if they view him being in charge next year. Personally, I feel that Marmol has done a great job managing the 26-man roster he has been given, and without being in the clubhouse to hear the conversations with the players or Mozeliak, the manager seems to have surpassed expectations as the Cardinals currently sit at .500 heading into the last quarter of the season.

If Marmol were to be removed from his managerial post after this season, Molina and former teammate and legend Albert Pujols have been mentioned as candidates for the position among others. Each player has dabbled in the manager position, Molina being in charge of the Puerto Rico WBC team and Pujols winning a championship in the Dominican Republic.