Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo, in his most candid remarks about Ketel Marte since the second baseman was a no-show to their Aug. 17 game in Boston, said he expects the three-time All-Star to apologize to the team.
Without divulging the entire substance of their conversation, Lovullo spoke at length about his meeting with Marte prior to the Diamondbacks’ 9-0 victory over the Cincinnati Reds.
It was the Diamondbacks’ second consecutive win after back-to-back losses in Boston amid the obvious distraction of Marte’s absence.
“Probably a little misunderstanding and a lot of frustration on Ketel’s part,” Lovullo said. “He wasn’t feeling great with his knee. Admittedly handled it wrong. … When you’re hurt, you come in, and get treatment. I think he failed to do that. So there was a little lack of communication that led to this and amplified it. He felt so frustrated, he needed to step away.”
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After the game, Lovullo admitted he was “clearly hurt” when Marte didn’t communicate with him before his mysterious no-show at Fenway Park.
“Once I saw what was unfolding, I became extremely frustrated,” Lovullo said. “I felt betrayed. That’s a whole different type of pain and frustration.”
After he spent three days on the restricted list — effectively an unpaid suspension — Marte was placed on the 10-day injured list Thursday. That move came after he returned to Phoenix to get an MRI on his knee without discussing his decision to leave Boston, where the team was playing the Red Sox.
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A long week got longer Friday, Aug. 21, when photos of Marte at a local casino circulated on social media. Lovullo was asked about it after the win over the Reds.
“When you’re turned loose from the medical team, you’re allowed to go home and have a meeting with your family,” Lovullo said. He’s free to do whatever he wants, that’s how I look at it. As long as he wakes up (Saturday) morning and posts, and gets his work done at Salt River (Fields) — which I am certain he will — that’s all that matters to me right now.”
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