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Terry Francona Announces Elly De La Cruz's Plan to Return Home After Sister's Passing

De La Cruz remained in the Reds' lineup after learning the awful news Saturday.

Blake Silverman

De La Cruz walks back to the dugout during their game against the Brewers at Great American Ball Park.
De La Cruz walks back to the dugout during their game against the Brewers at Great American Ball Park. / Phil Didion/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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Elly De La Cruz has played through unimaginable grief following the passing of his older sister, Genelis, Saturday after a long health issue. The Reds star decided to play Sunday and is playing in Cincinnati's series against the Milwaukee Brewers which began Monday.

According to a report from MLB.com, Reds manager Terry Francona said Monday the plan is for De La Cruz to play through the end of the three-game series, then return to the Dominican Republic to be with family and mourn his sister's death.

De La Cruz expressed that he wanted to continue playing through Wednesday in a conversation he had with Francona and Reds bench coach Freddie Benavides on Sunday.

Francona said he and Benavides had an extended conversation with De La Cruz on Sunday in Chicago to discuss options, and De La Cruz expressed his desire to keep playing through Wednesday.

He was adamant about playing Sunday and ended up hitting a home run, which resulted in an emotional moment as he rounded the bases. He tapped his heart and pointed to the sky to honor his late sister before putting his hands in a heart shape. He also wrote a message on his cleats for Sunday's game in honor of his sister.

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Blake Silverman
BLAKE SILVERMAN

Blake Silverman is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in November 2024, he covered the WNBA, NBA, G League and college basketball for numerous sites, including Winsidr, SB Nation's Detroit Bad Boys and A10Talk. He graduated from Michigan State University before receiving a master's in sports journalism from St. Bonaventure University. Outside of work, he's probably binging the latest Netflix documentary, at a yoga studio or enjoying everything Detroit sports. A lifelong Michigander, he lives in suburban Detroit with his wife, young son and their personal petting zoo of two cats and a dog.

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