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Adam Rosales dedicates home run celebration to Yangervis Solarte

Yangervis Solarte may not physically be with the San Diego Padres right now, but he’s on the minds of all his teammates. Solarte wife, Yuliette, died Saturday due to complications from cancer. She was 31 years old.

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Solarte left the team Friday in order to be with his wife and their three young daughters. Manager Andy Green made it clear the club had been impacted by the loss, and would keep Yangervis in their thoughts while he was away.

Yangervis Solarte celebrates a home run (Getty Images/Christian Petersen)
Yangervis Solarte celebrates a home run (Getty Images/Christian Petersen)

Solarte’s teammate Adam Rosales showed as much during Sunday’s 6-3 loss to the Colorado Rockies. In the top of the second inning, Rosales crushed a 91 mph fastball from Chad Bettis out to left field. Rosales sprinted around the bases quickly. Before touching the plate, Rosales extended his hands out in front of him, swung down his right arm and slapped his left hand, which he held out near his waist.

On the surface, it seemed like a normal celebration. However, as the Padres’ announcers later pointed out, Rosales mimicked the exact same move Solarte uses every time he hits a home run. Rosales dedicated his celebration to Solarte and his family.

Rosales did not act alone. Prior to the game, the entire Padres team decided any player who hit a home run would use Solarte’s celebration. Rosales just happened to be the only Padre to go yard during the contest.

Solarte has already indicated he would like to bring his daughters to San Diego and play for the club again before the end of the season. It’s unclear when he will return to the team, however.

Baseball is likely far from Solarte’s mind at the moment, but the gesture should at least lift his spirits momentarily, and let him know his teammates are thinking about him during a difficult time.

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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik