One week after personal tragedy struck, third baseman Yangervis Solarte rejoined the Padres on Saturday. He had come back, he said, to fulfill the wishes of his late wife.

Yuliett Pimentel Solarte died of complications related to cancer on Sept. 17. She was 31.

“From the beginning of the season, my wife had always pushed me and hadn’t wanted her illness to get in the way of things,” Solarte said through an interpreter. “She always wanted me to play and to remember I have three daughters. She was always reminding me of that. To think of them, to think of her.”

Padres manager Andy Green said Solarte, who was not in Saturday’s lineup, will start most of the season’s final games, including the series finale against San Francisco on Sunday.


“He’s part of our family, so we’re all thrilled to have him back,” Green said Saturday afternoon. “I think he really wanted to play today. As long as he’s been off, and he hasn’t done anything baseball-related, just wanted to make sure he got his legs under him.”

Saturday night, with two outs in the seventh inning, Green granted Solarte’s wish. The third baseman went to the plate as a pinch-hitter. He was welcomed with a standing ovation. On a 2-0 count, he ripped a single to left. After rounding first base, he pointed to the sky.

“Really grateful and really thankful for all the fan support,” Solarte, asked about the crowd reaction, said afterward. “It’s hard to describe my emotions in that moment, but ultimately, just ‘thank you.’

“I was going out there just to help the team, but at the same time I was thinking about her.”


After taking second base on a wild pitch, Solarte was replaced by pinch-runner Travis Jankowski. He jogged back to the dugout to more applause. A moment later, center fielder Manuel Margot sent an RBI single up the middle, recording his first career hit and completing the Padres’ comeback from a 6-0 deficit.

“I thought about leaving him out there and continuing to let him play, because obviously we’d like his bat to stay in the lineup,” Green said of Solarte. “But at some point in time, the guy’s had such an emotional toll that you just let him savor that sweet moment, with all he’s been through the last week.”

Despite the final result — the Giants won the game with three runs in the top 10th — Solarte’s return to the field was a rousing success. His return to the team, he said late Saturday, was a source of comfort.

“You can see all the guys around, giving their support,” he said.


Solarte left the team Sept. 16 to be with Yuliett. The night of her passing, messages of support poured in from teammates, fans and other clubs. During the Padres’ Sept. 18 game at Colorado, veteran infielder Adam Rosales punctuated a trip around the bases with a pronounced clap of his hands, emulating Solarte’s trademark celebration. Monday at Petco Park, a jersey with Yuliett’s name hung in the home dugout.

“I don’t really have enough words to thank the organization for what they’ve done,” said Solarte, who saw several team officials at his wife’s memorial service Thursday in Miami. “I think Yuliett would have liked to see that, and I think she’s happy in the sky, looking down and knowing that happened.”

Solarte arrived in San Diego on Friday. He had company. His mother and daughters had joined him on a cross-country flight.

“This is a second family here,” he said. “(Yuliett) is in a better place now, so I just need to focus on what I need to focus on, and that’s being back with my team.”


In 102 games this season, Solarte is hitting .286 with 15 home runs and 68 RBIs — all personal bests. His career has followed an upward trajectory since he was acquired from the New York Yankees in 2014.

“Players go and players come, but for the most part we’ve had a good core here,” he said. “Over the years, I’ve gotten to know everyone.

“It feels a little different, and she’s gone now, but at the end of the day those things are out of our control. Those things are up to God, and that was his decision.”

Familiar face

Former Padres pitcher Tim Stauffer served as a guest analyst on Fox Sports San Diego’s pre- and postgame shows Saturday. The right-hander was the Padres’ first-round draft pick in 2003 and spent parts of nine seasons with San Diego.


Stauffer, 34, signed a minor league deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks last winter but was released near the end of spring training. During his 10-year major league career, he went 33-34 with a 3.97 ERA. He lives in Encinitas with his wife and two sons.

dennis.lin@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @sdutdennislin