During the Arizona Diamondbacks’ visit to Boston on Monday, Ketel Marte was noticeably absent. It was revealed that he simply failed to report to Fenway Park.
According to Steve Gilbert of MLB.com, the standout second baseman was a no-show for the matchup, which ended in an 11-1 blowout defeat to the Boston Red Sox. Although Marte had traveled with the squad to Boston, and the Diamondbacks remained hopeful of his arrival until just before the first pitch, he never showed up.
Details surrounding his absence remain undisclosed, and there is no timeline for his return, prompting the franchise to place Marte on the restricted list. Concurrently, Arizona summoned infielder Jose Fernandez from Triple-A Reno on Monday.
“The only information I have is that he is handling a private matter,” manager Torey Lovullo explained, as reported by PHNX. “He didn’t arrive today, which led to him being placed on the restricted list. That is the extent of my knowledge at this point.”
Lovullo added that he assumed Marte was resting at his hotel room and was in good physical condition.
This marks the second consecutive season that Marte has had an unexpected absence from the Diamondbacks. Last summer, he departed for the Dominican Republic following the All-Star break, causing him to miss three games. Although he later apologized to his teammates, he confessed at the time to feeling “frustrated” and being in a “bad spot” after discovering his residence in Arizona had been burglarized.
Reports emerged earlier in the year suggesting that Marte was causing “frustration within certain areas of the franchise by choosing to sit out games,” though manager Torey Lovullo quickly came to his defense.
“I can say with absolute sincerity that Ketel has been an incredible asset to the Arizona Diamondbacks for many years,” Lovullo remarked back in June. “Some rest days are necessary and planned in advance, and we always seek his feedback. When a player shares their perspective, we pay attention.
“However, this persistent narrative that he is a poor teammate who is damaging the team’s chemistry is completely false.”
Now in his tenth year with Arizona, Marte is batting .249 with 21 home runs and 67 runs batted in.
With Marte out of the lineup, the Red Sox cruised to a comfortable 10-run victory on Monday. Boston built a commanding 7-0 lead before Arizona managed to get on the scoreboard, easily wrapping up the blowout win to improve their record to 67-58.
Meanwhile, the Diamondbacks sit in third place in the NL West with a 66-60 record, actively pursuing the final National League wild-card berth. Making the postseason will undoubtedly be a much smoother path if Marte is on the field.
