While the Arizona Diamondbacks were at Chase Field beating the Cincinnati Reds on Friday, Aug. 21, photos of embattled second baseman Ketel Marte at a local casino circulated on social media.
The optics were bad. The timing was worse.
A long week for Marte and the Dbacks began Monday, Aug. 17, when the three-time All-Star was a no-show for a game at Fenway Park. Marte was placed on the restricted list minutes before that game’s first pitch.
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Marte remained on the restricted list, effectively an unpaid suspension, for three days. In the meantime, the three-time All-Star flew back to Phoenix to undergo an MRI on his left knee.
Eventually, Marte and the Diamondbacks met and reached a resolution. He’s currently on the 10-day injured list and could return before the end of the regular season.
The casino visit was so ill-timed, Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo was asked about it after Friday’s game.
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“When you’re turned loose from the medical team, you’re allowed to go home and have a meeting with your family,” Lovullo said of Marte. 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.”
Lovullo might not speak for everyone on the team, a recently retired player believes.
“No one on the Dbacks will say it (because) he’s their franchise player but being 1 game out of the wild card and Ketel Marte being at the casino during their game last night is a–hole behavior,” former All-Star pitcher Alex Wood wrote on Twitter/X. “Tells you everything you need to know about him.”
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Wood, who helped the Los Angeles Dodgers win the 2020 World Series, competed against Marte for years. His comment reflects an unspoken truth: whether it’s the optics, or the mere fact that Marte remains apart from the team in the middle of a postseason push, it’s the kind of behavior that doesn’t fly in a clubhouse.
And it’s not the first such behavior by Marte this week.
The Diamondbacks are 4-6 in their last 10 games, while the San Diego Padres are 7-3 in that same span. The two division rivals are battling for the final NL wild-card berth.
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