Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz insisted on playing Sunday after learning of his sister’s death in the Dominican Republic, and he honored her the best way he could.
De Le Cruz hit a two-run home run in the sixth inning, putting the Reds on the board for the first time in Sunday’s contest against the Cubs. As he approached home plate, De La Cruz made a heart gesture and pointed to the sky.
Elly De La Cruz gets his 50th career home run pic.twitter.com/iZryBHPbgx
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) June 1, 2025
De La Cruz paid tribute to his sister with a message on his cleats as well, writing, “R.I.P. Manita.”
The Reds star had two of his team’s first three hits against the Cubs despite also playing through a leg injury, which manager Terry Francona made public earlier in the series.
Here are more details on what happened to De La Cruz’s sister and whether he could still miss time.
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What happened to Elly De La Cruz’s sister?
De La Cruz’s sister, Genelis De La Cruz, died Saturday, Z101 Digital’s Hector Gomez first reported from the Dominican Republic. She had been “suffering from health problems for some time,” the De La Cruz family told Gomez.
Francona said early Sunday that De La Cruz said he wanted to play in Cincinnati’s series finale against the Cubs.
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“We just told him we’ll support whatever he needs to do,” Francona told reporters, adding that the team would “go from there.” That indicates it’s still possible De La Cruz takes some time off to deal with his sister’s death, but no decision has been made.
The Reds will host the Brewers for a three-game series early in the upcoming week before the Diamondbacks come to town.
The Cincinnati Enquirer reports De La Cruz is “from a tight-knit family,” so his courage in playing through the news is admirable.
