CINCINNATI, USA – Dominican shortstop Elly De La Cruz, one of the most promising young figures of the Cincinnati Reds, will not be present for the first game of the series against the Arizona Diamondbacks this Friday, due to the recent death of his older sister in the Dominican Republic.
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The 23-year-old player traveled to his home country after the team's defeat last Wednesday against the Milwaukee Brewers. Although he was not placed on the official bereavement list, his return was expected for this Friday. However, the cancellation of one of his flights prevented his timely arrival for the match.
“Actually, he was trying to make it in time for the game, but one of his flights was canceled, so he’ll be arriving later,” explained manager Terry Francona.
In his absence, second baseman Matt McLain took over the shortstop duties, while Garrett Hampson covered second base in the duel against Arizona.
In contrast, the Reds received good news with the reinstatement of first baseman Christian Encarnación-Strand, who came off the 10-day injured list after recovering from a back inflammation suffered since April 17.
The Reds organization, as well as his teammates, have expressed their support for De La Cruz during this difficult personal time