Updated

Updated · Arizona Sports · Aug 18

Ketel Marte No-Show Threatens D-backs Season as $87.5 Million Contract Clouds Lovullo's Future

Updated

Updated · Arizona Sports · Aug 18

Ketel Marte No-Show Threatens D-backs Season as $87.5 Million Contract Clouds Lovullo's Future

Q: Why would a team place their star on the restricted list if he was secretly seeking a knee MRI?

Because the issue, as the team understood it at the time, was not simply a medical one. The restricted list is typically used when a player is absent for personal, unexcused or other non-baseball reasons and is not reporting to the club. Multiple reports said Marte traveled to Boston but did not show up at Fenway Park, and manager Torey Lovullo said communication was minimal and the club did not have a clear explanation before game time. If Marte had clearly reported a knee problem through normal channels, the more standard path would have been for him to report to the ballpark, be examined by team doctors and, if necessary, go on the injured list or remain day to day. That is why the later revelation that he was returning to Phoenix for a left knee MRI made the restricted-list move look unusual. The key distinction is that the MRI may explain where Marte was headed, but it does not fully explain why Arizona classified the absence as restricted. The club appeared to view the immediate problem as his failure to report and the lack of communication, not the knee soreness itself. Lovullo even said he believed going back to Phoenix for testing may have been Marte’s request, and he was unsure why it could not be handled in Boston. So the most likely answer is that Arizona acted on the facts it had Monday night: a star player missing from the ballpark, limited contact, and no formal medical process in place yet.

3 articles · Updated · Arizona Sports · Aug 18

Monday's unexplained Ketel Marte absence in Boston left Arizona scrambling before first pitch and preceded what the report called one of the Diamondbacks' most haggard losses of the season.
Torey Lovullo choked up after the game, suggesting the no-show followed a clash earlier in the day over Marte's request for time off or a push to use him at designated hitter.
That breakdown carried extra weight because Lovullo has repeatedly defended Marte, and teammates including Geraldo Perdomo had already rallied around him after a prior apology for an earlier unexcused absence.
Marte's latest episode revives a longer pattern stretching back to late 2024 and 2025, when lineup withdrawals and a trip to the Dominican Republic shook the club internally.
With five years and $87.5 million left on Marte's deal, another missed postseason could leave Arizona stuck with the player while Lovullo pays for the fallout.