Chicago Cubs rookie Matt Shaw was given a rare exemption by his team to attend the memorial of Charlie Kirk.

According to The Athletic and the Chicago Sun-Times, Shaw was absent during his team’s loss to the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday, Sept. 21 so he could attend the the right-wing commentator’s memorial at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.

Shaw, 23, reportedly traveled to Arizona specifically for Kirk’s memorial, multiple team and league sources told The Athletic, “on condition of anonymity to talk freely about a sensitive matter.”

Cubs manager Craig Counsell told reporters Shaw “was unavailable today” after the game, which Chicago lost 1-0 to the Cincinnati Reds on the road, because “he attended the funeral of a friend,” per Sun-Times reporter Maddie Lee.

He is expected to be back with the team for their next game on Tuesday, Sept. 23, according to Lee.

Shaw also was listed as out for the Cubs’ game after Kirk’s death on Sept. 10, citing a personal matter, per the Sun-Times. He came in to pinch-hit later in the game, and following the 3-2 win over the Atlanta Braves, Shaw declined to speak with reporters through a media representative.

Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA who was fatally shot during a campus event at Utah Valley University, was a fan of the Cubs and had attended a game in August. After the game, he posed with Shaw on the field for a photo shared on social media.

Kirk’s memorial on Sept. 21 included speeches from his widow, Erika Kirk, Vice President JD Vance and President Donald Trump. During his eulogy, Trump, 79, praised Kirk, calling him “a giant of his generation.”

“I know I speak for everyone here today when I say that none of us will ever forget Charlie,” he said before claiming that the Illinois-born podcaster’s final plea to him was to “save Chicago.”

“We’re gonna do that, we’re gonna save Chicago from horrible crime,” said Trump, who has threatened to send National Guard troops into the city as part of a federal crackdown on crime, as he has done in Washington, D.C.

Tyler Robinson has been accused of fatally shooting Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University during a campus event. The 22-year-old is being held at the Utah County Jail without bail.