Ketel Marte, a prominent player for the Arizona Diamondbacks, expressed regret to his colleagues on Monday following his absence from a series against the St. Louis Cardinals after the All-Star break due to personal matters.
This event marks another instance where Marte has requested time off, reportedly contributing to internal friction within the Diamondbacks’ organization.
Marte traveled back to his residence in the Dominican Republic post-All-Star break, missing three games. He attributed this to feeling “frustrated” and “in a difficult situation” upon discovering that his Arizona home had been broken into during the break.
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Subsequently, the Diamondbacks suffered defeats in nine of their subsequent 10 games after Marte’s return to the lineup. They proceeded to trade several significant players at the trade deadline and currently hold a record of 60-66 for the season after Monday’s 3-1 defeat against the Cleveland Guardians, placing them seven games behind the final wild-card position in the National League.
“I am aware of the obvious issue, and I will address it directly,” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo stated, according to The Associated Press. “I am aware that Ketel has spoken to you all, and I commend him for doing so. It was a challenging thing for him to do. I recognize that he displayed some vulnerability, and I am particularly proud of his dedication in handling the situation.”
“What I can share about Ketel are facts that I know to be true — he is a superb teammate, a fine young man, and he gives his all every day for the Arizona Diamondbacks. His sole desire is to achieve victories in baseball games. That is all.”
Marte’s current statistics include a .295 batting average, 56 RBI, and 23 home runs this season. The 31-year-old has been instrumental in the Diamondbacks’ achievements in recent years, playing a key role in leading the franchise to their first World Series appearance since 2001 in 2023.
“It has concluded,” shortstop Geraldo Perdomo commented on the situation, via The Athletic. “I am eager to move past it because we have upcoming baseball games that we need to win. That remains our primary objective.”
