The Arizona Diamondbacks are activating second baseman Ketel Marte from the 10-day IL, per Francys Romero.
Marte has been sidelined since August 16 in a weird situation. He was added to the IL due to a knee injury, but his problems began when he didn’t show up for Arizona’s game on August 17 against the Boston Red Sox.
The second baseman was cited as dealing with a “personal issue” by manager Torey Lovullo. Arizona had hoped he would get to Fenway Park right before game time, but Marte didn't make it at all. Lovullo tried to explain the situation to reporters, but didn’t have much to go on.
“It's been a crazy day. All I know is he's dealing with a personal issue.
We're trying to figure that out. He didn't show up today and he was put on the restricted list. That's as much as I know right now.
I'm sure in time we'll start to uncover and unravel some information. But I knew that there was something going on today … I still believed he was going to be here. He just didn't show up."
Ironically, this is not the first time that Marte has been absent for a game. Last season, he flew home to the Dominican Republic after the All-Star break last summer and missed three games. He said he was "frustrated" and "in a bad spot" after learning that his Arizona home had been burglarized, but he eventually apologized to the team.
There were reports earlier this season that Marte was continuing to "frustrate segments of the organization by opting to take days off," but manager Torey Lovullo jumped to defend him.
"I can wholeheartedly tell you that Ketel has been an unbelievable player for the Arizona Diamondbacks for a long period of time. There are days off that are needed, they're fairly scripted, and we ask for his input. When the athlete gives us input, we're going to listen.
But there's this underlying theme that he's not a good teammate, and it's pulling at the fabric of the clubhouse chemistry, which is not true at all."
Marte not appearing for the August 17 game led to his being added to the restricted list, but it was later reported that he would be getting an MRI on his knee. He was then added to the IL officially with a knee issue.
The situation got even weirder when he was spotted at a casino during Arizona’s game on August 21. Several accounts on social media shared photos and video of Marte gambling at Talking Stick Resort casino near the D-backs' complex in Salt River Fields.
Lovullo was asked again about the situation and wasn’t frustrated by the development.
"He's free to do whatever he wants. That's how I look at it," Lovullo told reporters. "As long as he wakes up tomorrow morning and posts and gets his work done at Salt River, which I am certain he will, that's all that matters to me right now."
Romero’s report of Marte getting activated on Monday included that the second baseman is expected to address the team ahead of first pitch.
Before this controversy and injury, Marte had played in 118 games. He is slashing .249/.314/.446 with 21 home runs and 67 RBI so far this season.
Ahead of Monday’s series opener against Philadelphia, Arizona has a 73-65 record. The Diamondbacks are in second place in the NL West, trailing the Los Angeles Dodgers by 9.5 games. Arizona is currently holding the third NL Wild Card spot, with a half-game lead over the San Diego Padres.
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