Ketel Marte rejoined the Arizona Diamondbacks after being reinstated from the injured list prior to Monday’s game against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Marte served as the D-Backs’ designated hitter and bat fourth against Philadelphia. Arizona optioned infielder Jose Fernandez to Triple-A in a corresponding move.
Marte heard loud boos from the Arizona faithful before his first at-bat.
The D-Backs had been without Marte for the last two weeks after the team placed him on the restricted list when he failed to show up for Arizona’s road game against the Boston Red Sox on Aug. 17. He was transferred to the IL several days later following an MRI on his knee.
On Monday, while speaking with reporters for the first time since the saga began, Marte expressed remorse for his absence, saying through a translator that he plans to “stand in front of my teammates like a man” and apologize, according to Nick King of AZ Family 3TV.
“It’s a moment of frustration,” Marte said when asked why he didn’t show up for the game. “I’m the type of person that when something’s going on in my life, I don’t like to talk about it. So, that’s kind of what was going on.”
Marte later added that he’s now doing “very well” both mentally and physically.
However, his no-show sparked questions, concerns, and criticism from the organization. Manager Torey Lovullo said he felt “betrayed” by Marte, while CEO Derrick Hall was befuddled by the ordeal, calling it “a complete mystery.”
“I get along really well with Torey, and in that instance I failed him by not showing up,” Marte said. “That morning I woke up, my body was in pain, and I just couldn’t react. No one made the decision for me. I’m the one that made the decision to not show up.”
However, Marte denied earlier reports that he left Boston on his own to return to Phoenix for an MRI.
“I never left (Boston) early,” he said. “The day that the team returned (to Phoenix), that’s the day that I returned.”
Marte is hitting .249/.314/.446 with 21 home runs and 67 RBIs this season. His presence in the lineup is sorely needed for a D-Backs squad in the thick of the playoff race.
The 32-year-old reportedly drew his teammates’ ire last season for missing three games after his house was burglarized during the All-Star break and for asking for a day off in the final week of the season during a playoff race. Marte also didn’t show up to a game at Yankee Stadium late in the 2023 season after he thought it would be postponed due to rain, sources told Arizona Sports’ Alex Weiner and John Gambadoro.
Additionally, Marte was spotted at a Phoenix-area casino while the D-Backs were playing the Cincinnati Reds at Chase Field on Aug. 21, one day after he’d been moved from the restricted list to the IL.
Arizona was rumored to be fielding trade offers for Marte last offseason but ultimately kept him.
Marte is a three-time All-Star, a two-time Silver Slugger Award winner, and an NL MVP finalist in 2024.
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