The St. Louis Cardinals had one of the most prominent catchers in recent MLB history retire after the 2022 season. Yadier Molina, while he departed the Cardinals, still holds a special place in the hearts of the city, team, and fanbase.
Now, in 2025, three years after he retired, Molina was in the news again. This time, it wasn’t for anything he did as a player, but for what he will do in one year as a manager.
According to an announcement from Major League Baseball, Cardinals legend Yadier Molina is set to be named the manager of Puerto Rico in the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
Molina previously played for Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic, and now will become the team’s manager four years after he retired. His first two tries with Puerto Rico were as backups, but he still managed to make an impact.
But in 2013, he finally earned the starting spot. He went 7-27 with a walk and two runs. While he didn’t make a huge impact, he still was the team’s starter and was even named the tournament’s All-Star catcher.
In 2017, Molina made another start for the Puerto Rico World Baseball Classic team and fell for the second straight tournament in the finals.
Not too long ago, in 2023, Molina managed Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic. While the team didn’t make it to the finals, they were quarter-finalists in Molina’s first year as the team’s manager.
Now, three years later, Molina is once again set to manage Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic. It’ll be his second time managing for Puerto Rico, and his sixth time as a member of the team overall.
