SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. _ Yangervis Solarte has every excuse to be tense.
His three daughters, Yanliett, Yuliett and Yulianna, are home in Florida as Solarte competes for a roster spot with the San Francisco Giants in Arizona. He doesn't know when exactly he'll see them again and he's uncertain if he'll finish the spring with a major league job in hand.
Through the pain of separation and the trials of competition, Solarte remains remarkably calm.
"When you have a passion like this, no matter what, that's in my heart," Solarte said. "To play baseball and come in here and do my best."
Solarte's perspective isn't like that of most professional baseball players. His outlook on life isn't shaped by what transpires on the diamond, but instead by a family that has endured tragedy off of it.
In September, 2016, Solarte's wife Yuliett died due to complications from cancer at the age of 31. A Cuban immigrant to the United States, Yuliett was diagnosed with tumors on her liver after the couple's third daughter was born two months ahead of her due date.
Yuliett passed away during the final days of the best season of Solarte's career. In her last months, Yuliett implored Solarte to continue playing baseball so he could inspire their daughters and chase his dream.
After Yuliett's diagnosis, Solarte and his wife sat down to write out goals for the 2016 season, his second with the San Diego Padres. They chose to focus on the No. 7, setting targets for a .270 batting average, 70 RBIs and fewer than 70 strikeouts.
"The number seven is really important for us because she told me before that God created the world in seven days," Solarte said. "I never forget about that."
Near the end of the 2016 season, Solarte stepped away from baseball to care for Yuliett. She passed away on Sept. 17, 2016 with two weeks left on the schedule. Solarte missed eight games before returning to the field so he could pursue one of the goals he set with his late wife.
With 68 RBIs to his name, Solarte recorded an RBI single against the Giants on Sept. 25 to inch closer to his target. Three days later, he hit a ninth inning double to reach the 70-RBI threshold for the first time in his career.
"It was unbelievable," Solarte said. "I remember when I got to second base, I said, 'Wow, everything is possible.' "
Two and a half years after his wife's death, Solarte remains driven by what's possible. After a rough second half in Toronto last season, Solarte was undeterred by having to sign a minor league deal instead of a major league contract, noting that he secured his first job with the Yankees in similar fashion.
He isn't overwhelmed by an infield full of returning starters, as Solarte announced he's willing to play any position that helps the team. Selflessness comes naturally to Solarte, who has impressed manager Bruce Bochy and others with his positive demeanor in the clubhouse.
"When you go through so much in life, you're grateful to get up and do whatever you're doing," teammate Pablo Sandoval said. "I'm happy for him because I've known him from the time we were little kids and I know how hard he's worked to get to this point."
Sandoval, Solarte and Giants' non-roster invitee Gerardo Parra played together on a Venezuelan national team as teenagers, forming a bond that's on display through their constant dialogue in the team's spring training clubhouse.
Sandoval and Parra played on the same youth team, but Solarte grew up in a different area of the country. The son of a professional basketball player, Gervis Solarte, Yangervis said he played volleyball, soccer and Ping-Pong in his youth but fell in love with baseball thanks to his uncle.
Eleven-year major league veteran Roger Cedeno was a hero to Solarte, who tagged along to watch his uncle compete in winter ball games in their home country.
"I remember I would cry a lot when he would leave," Solarte said.
Solarte never watched Cedeno play in the United States as he didn't travel to the country until participating in his second season of professional baseball with the Minnesota Twins in 2007. After six years in the Twins organization, Solarte signed with the Rangers as a minor league free agent before inking another minor league deal with the Yankees two years later.
Following eight minor league seasons, Solarte earned his first major league roster spot thanks to an impressive spring in Yankees camp in 2014. Five years later, he finds himself in a similar position.
"If you're a major or minor leaguer, it's the same to come in here and play baseball," Solarte said. "They made the decision on me, so we come in and play hard and that's it."
A multiposition defender who can hit with power from both sides of the plate, Solarte provides the Giants with intriguing versatility and boasts a high contract rate, which is a skill new president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi values.
Despite lacking a guaranteed roster spot, there's a clear sense that Solarte will wind up playing an important role for the Giants this year.
"Those guys are so important, guys that give me versatility," Bochy said. "If they're going well then you find different places to keep them out there and spots to play, it allows you to rest guys. That was a big signing for us."
During the first days of the spring, Solarte also injected a sense of joy into camp with a home run onto the left field berm at Scottsdale Stadium. After rounding third base, Solarte high-fived himself and later explained he always plays with that type of excitement.
It's a feeling that's contagious to those that know him best.
"No matter what you do in life, what happens in life, you can impact people doing things in a positive way," Sandoval said.
Solarte said he attempts to instill that sense of joy into his daughters, who are home attending school but will travel on the road with him this summer. He also shared that he's engaged to his fiancee, Mehrnaz, who has taken on an important role in helping raise Solarte's daughters.
The couple is excited for the season, another pursuit of 70 RBIs and the chance to travel with Solarte's children when school finishes up. In the meantime, Solarte is balancing his competition for a job during the day while checking in at home before and after work.
"The house is always happy," Solarte said.
Just the way he likes it.
