Ketel Marte vanished from a road trip in Boston four days ago, and it has absolutely torpedoed the Arizona Diamondbacks’ sizzling playoff chase, leaving manager Torey Lovullo feeling straight up betrayed. With only 34 games remaining, the D-backs are fighting to get back to the postseason for the first time since 2023, but Marte’s mysterious disappearance has made focusing on the field nearly impossible. Lovullo didn’t hold back, saying, “Once I saw what was unfolding, I became extremely frustrated. I felt betrayed. And that’s a whole different type of pain and frustration. But I’m through that.” Talk about a gut punch from one of your best players.
The No-Show, The Meeting, And The IL Stint
Marte, the 32-year-old three-time All-Star second baseman, was scheduled to be the team’s designated hitter on Monday night before his no-show. Four days later, the D-backs were still scratching their heads, trying to figure out how to move forward. Lovullo, along with general manager Mike Hazen and Marte’s agent, finally met with Marte on Thursday. Shortly after that meeting, Marte was slapped with a 10-day injured list placement for left knee inflammation. While Lovullo kept the details of the discussion close to the vest, he did admit Marte had some frustration about his ailing knee. You’d think there’s a better way to handle that than just ghosting your team, right? Lovullo sure thinks so, stating, “There’s right ways to handle things and wrong ways to handle things. I think the conclusion that was drawn up yesterday was that we could have been better. Ketel could have been better, specifically. Admittedly so.” Marte, who’s hitting .249 with 21 homers and 67 RBIs this season, wasn’t even in the clubhouse for media availability on Friday.
Dealing With The Drama: A Franchise Dilemma
This isn’t Marte’s first disappearing act, either. Last season, he went on the restricted list after his Arizona home was broken into during the All-Star break, missing three games after flying to his native Dominican Republic before apologizing. Yet, the D-backs might be more willing to put up with his baffling behavior because he’s their longest-tenured player and one of the most productive hitters in franchise history. Since 2017, the Dominican slugger has racked up 1,215 hits and 189 homers. Plus, he’s under contract through 2030 with a player option for 2031. Even with all this drama, Lovullo still says, “I love Ketel Marte , my relationship with him is not going to change.” The manager just wants to manage baseball games, you know? “I want to do what I love doing between the white lines and not have to answer these types of questions. … I don’t love the drama that follows this ballclub. I want to be a good baseball team and we’ve got to figure this out.” Many teammates are reportedly just reading media reports to figure out what’s going on, with reliever Kevin Ginkel saying the situation was disappointing. The D-backs have to figure this out quickly with a playoff spot on the line.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Fox Sports.
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