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I noticed on one Sunday that the Synaxarium of 30th of Mesore says Malachi "prophesied about the return of the people from captivity in Babylon to Jerusalem." I believe this is incorrect. How is this possible if he is the last prophet of the OT and the people had already returned from the captivity long before?

The holy books of the Holy Bible are not placed in chronological order, but they are grouped together under specific themes. It is believed that the Book of Malachi was written during the early part of the 4th century B.C., following the ministries of the prophets Haggai and Zechariah. The prophets Haggai and Malachi concentrated their prophecies on what is referred to as the "second exodus" which is in reference to the return of the people from Babylon. These two prophets admonished the people to worship God properly and encouraged the people to rebuild the temple. Malachi the prophet was most adamant about how to worship God with love and a proper attitude, rather than just through the Leviticus rules alone.