DENVER – Teary-eyed Padres manager Andy Green revealed to his team after a loss to the Rockies on Saturday night that third baseman Yangervis Solarte's wife passed away earlier in the day, before game time, due to complications from cancer. Yuliette Solarte was 31.
Solarte left the team Friday to be with his wife and their three daughters in Florida. Late Saturday, he posted a remembrance of his wife on his Instagram account. Green said after the game that about half of the team knew.
Adam Rosales paid tribute to his teammate Sunday with a jump and a clap at home plate after his homer in the second inning, mimicking Solarte's home run celebration.
"Everybody's heart breaks for him right now," Green said. "He's had infectious energy all year long, and when you can consider the circumstances of his life, it's hard to fathom. So from our perspective, 'Hey, whenever you want to be back, you can come back. If you don't want to be back in the last two weeks, you don't have to be back.'
"But we'll continue to talk to him, offer our love and support, anything we can possibly do for his family from a logistics perspective."
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