The Arizona Diamondbacks remained just as puzzled as their fan base Thursday morning, Aug. 20, with team president and CEO Derrick Hall saying the Ketel Marte situation was "still a complete mystery; it’s just bizarre."
Hall, who was with the team in Boston for its three-game series, spoke with Arizona Sports 98.7, the team's flagship station, and shed some light on what has happened over the past few days.
Hall said, "Sunday night, at the hotel in Boston, he appeared just fine and then was just a no show.’’
Hall said he did not go to Monday's game, an 11-0 loss in the wake of the Marte uncertainty, and instead stayed at the hotel "speaking with Mike (general manager Mike Hazen) frequently and letting Ketel know I was there if he wanted to talk."
Marte missed time last season following the All-Star break due to personal issues.
"There is a bit of a history there," Hall said. "We’re going to have to get explanations from him and apologies from him."
Hazen was scheduled to speak with Marte some time later on Thursday.
"Obviously, (Marte) is a great talent, a great player, Hall said, adding that even an All-Star is not above the team rules. "Any player who has a responsibility to be at the ballpark needs to be there, unless it's been prearranged. ...
"If a player is hurt, well, you need to go in and get treatment. We are all sort of sparing judgment because we don’t know what the explanation is."
Comments from Marte's agent on Wednesday suggested a personal issue.
"We all saw him on the trip from Atlanta to Boston," Hall said. "He was at the hotel with everybody. And then he just stayed back.
"We have to hear why. And then maybe there'll be a reason to help him. And if it is a personal issue as his agent says, we need to hear what that is."
Hazen, Hall said, has "been on the phone constantly with the agent. He's been reaching out to the player as much as he can."
Team owner Ken Kendrick has also been part of the discussions, Hall said.
"It's been tough on everybody," he said. "We've spent hours on the phone, with me and Mike and Ken. Just pacing in the hotel room.
"We have to be very careful how we handle this. Until we sit down in front of the player, I don’t really have much to say."
The Diamondbacks, whose plane was diverted to Las Vegas because of Wednesday's storms in Phoenix, were expected to return to the Valley by midday. The team salvaged the final game of the series in Boston, winning Wednesday's game, 7-6, in 10 innings.
"Yesterday was important," Hall said. "This team is resilient."
The team is off on Thursday and begins a homestand on Friday, hosting the Cincinnati Reds.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Diamondbacks president talks latest on 'bizarre' Ketel Marte situation
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