Yadier Molina Appears to Throw Shade at Cardinals' Mike Matheny on Instagram

In what some saw as a veiled shot at his manager, Mike Matheny, St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina posted a photo on Instagram in which he commented on how much he missed former third base coach Jose Oquendo.

In December, the Cardinals named Oquendo a special assistant to general manager John Mozeliak after health issues forced Oquendo to step away from coaching duties temporarily.  

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Jose de Jesus Ortiz wrote in June that he felt the effects of Oquendo's departure have lingered long into the 2017 season: "Oquendo's departure left a huge void, and it was evident in poor defensive play and a lack of accountability. The players didn't get too comfortable with Oquendo on the coaching staff because he kept everybody accountable."

Later in the same article, Ortiz didn't name any specific coaches or players but spoke to a source who said Oquendo was unlikely to return in a coaching role because "he kept some folks in the Cardinals’ clubhouse on edge and didn't mind mixing it up behind closed doors if something needed to be said."

The Post-Dispatch's Derrick Goold denied there was a rift between Matheny and Oquendo when Oquendo was on the staff. Goold went on to write that Matheny attempted to find a way to keep Oquendo in his role as a coach after knee surgery but the 54-year-old was content in a front-office role.

While Molina's Instagram post can be left to interpretation, he has used social media to air his grievances with Matheny before. The eight-time All-Star highlighted a selection from a Post-Dispatch article by Mitchell Forde in which his manager questioned whether he was running out of gas, per the Washington Post's Marissa Payne.

Matheny has always had his critics despite the Cardinals' success, with the handling of St. Louis' bullpen one of the biggest bones of contention. 

The Cardinals are 52-53 and in serious danger of missing the playoffs for the second year in a row. Should that happen, Matheny's job could be in jeopardy once the season is over.