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Even one of the highest-ranking officials in the Diamondbacks organization is stumped when it comes to Ketel Marte going AWOL on the team this week.
“Still a complete mystery,” Arizona president and CEO Derrick Hall said on “Bickley & Marotta” on 98.7 FM on Thursday morning. “It’s just bizarre.”
He added: “We’re going to have to get explanations from him and apologies from him and hopefully we can pick up the pieces and move on and turn the page.”
It’s approaching 72 hours since Marte did not show up for Monday’s road game in Boston, which landed him on the restricted list, and there are still scant details.
The latest reveal is that the veteran infielder and Arizona general manager Mike Hazen are set to meet Thursday and Marte is slated to undergo an MRI.
Hazen and Hall are both hopeful that Marte can play again this season, with Arizona one game behind the Padres for the third and final NL wild-card berth entering Thursday’s slate.
Hall actually dealt with the situation on-site in Boston.
He joined the team for its recent six-game road trip that began in Atlanta over the weekend and concluded in Boston, and noted how he saw Marte at the hotel Sunday night.
“He appeared just fine and then was just a no-show. as you know,” Hall said. “Just bizarre, and we’ve tried to get answers.”
Hall believes Marte’s absence affected the team, with Arizona losing the first two games before winning 7-6 in 10 innings Wednesday to avoid a sweep.
Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo got emotional Monday after the 11-1 loss to the Red Sox while answering questions on the topic, noting how he had an inclination something was amiss early in the day but the team held out hope Marte would eventually show up to the ballpark.
This situation raises questions about Marte’s future with the team both this season and beyond.
Hall mentioned how Marte also did not report for the start of the 2025 second half while dealing with a home robbery in the Dominican Republic, although Lovullo previously said that was not a no-show.
For as talented as Marte is, teams only afford so much rope when it comes to the bare minimum of showing up for work — especially since teammates notice how organizations handle these situations.
Marte is hitting .249 with a .760 OPS and has 21 homers and 67 RBIs in 118 games.
Arizona hosts Cincinnati on Friday to begin a six-game homestand.
“Any player who has a responsibility to be at the ballpark needs to be there, unless it’s been prearranged” Hall said on the team’s off day. “We’re not sure what (this situation) is, that’s why we want to hear what the results of the MRI are right away, and still, we need to know: OK, if you were feeling sore, if you were hurting, why didn’t you go and have treatment? That’s what you do.
“Personally, I’m disappointed a player didn’t show up and go where he was supposed to, but I can get past it if I hear a reason why. … Maybe there will be a reason to help him, and if it a personal issue as his agent is, we need to hear what that is and see if there’s a way for us to help him or alleviate this whole situation.”
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