ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - Legendary St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina has made it no secret he was going to seek a future managing or coaching role after his playing career ended with the Cardinals.
However, those aspirations will not reportedly be with the Cardinals Major League staff full-time in 2024.
According to ESPN Deportes Baseball Writer Enrique Rojas, Molina will not be able to join the Cardinals coaching in 2024, citing family manners during an interview with Dominican radio show Grandes en los Deportes.
"Yadier Molina said in @GrandesELD that he has abandoned the idea of being a full-time coach of Cardinals in 2024 due to family matters," Rojas writes on X, formerly known as Twitter.
However, Rojas reports Molina coaching aspirations are still strong and that Molina plans to make scheduled visits as a Special Advisor during Spring Training and the regular season.
"Yadier Molina reiterates the long-term plan to to be a manager in the Major Leagues and he is still preparing for that," Rojas writes.
It's a tough blow for the Cardinals and Cardinals fans, who hoped that Molina would be able to join the team as a full-time coach.
Cardinals President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak said last week the team was at the time, trying to figure out what role there was for Molina, including determining the time commitment he was ready to make, but unfortunately it looked like the family matters weren't going to able to let Molina commit full-time to a role on the managerial staff full time.
Molina however, will still have opportunities to coach outside of his sporadic visits to the team next season. According to Rojas, Molina will be managing Puerto Rico against the Dominican Republic on Sunday, Dec. 3 in Santiago, Dominican Republic.
While the Cardinals will not have Molina in the dugout for 2024, the team will still have a quite familiar face in the dugout next year as the team reunited with Daniel Descalso, hiring the longtime Cardinals infielder as the team's next bench coach.
Descalso will replace Joe McEwing, who will be moving to the front office to serve as a Special Assistant to President of Baseball Operation John Mozeliak.