When the Arizona Diamondbacks released their lineup minutes before first pitch at Fenway Park on Monday night, Ketel Marte's name was conspicuously absent. The three-time All-Star second baseman — the face of the franchise and Arizona's leader in hits, home runs and RBIs — had simply never shown up. The Diamondbacks placed Marte on the restricted list due to what manager Torey Lovullo called a "personal matter," a jarring twist for a contending team in the thick of a National League wild-card race and the latest chapter in a recurring pattern of unexplained absences from one of baseball's most gifted hitters.
By Tuesday afternoon, Marte was reportedly headed back to Phoenix for an MRI on his left knee, with the organization still unsure when — or if — he would rejoin a club fighting for its postseason life.
Inside Ketel Marte's Fenway Park no-show
Marte exited Friday's game in Atlanta with left knee soreness and sat out Saturday, then returned to the lineup Sunday with an 0-for-3 performance plus a walk and a run scored. He was expected to start Monday's series opener against the Red Sox. Instead, he never made it to the ballpark.
Arizona Sports' John Gambadoro reported that Marte had been seen at the team hotel bar with a group of people around 11 p.m. Sunday night. AZCentral.com's Nick Piecoro reported that Marte had posted on his Instagram story that he had landed in Boston with the team Sunday night, even as he never arrived at Fenway Park.
The Diamondbacks scrambled minutes before first pitch, placing Marte on the restricted list — a designation for players under contract who are not playing for personal, legal or non-baseball reasons — and recalling infielder Jose Fernandez from Triple-A Reno. Ildemaro Vargas shifted to second base and Fernandez slotted in at third.
"Very little (communication) this morning, this afternoon, I just was doing my best to reach out to him and there was very little coming back," Lovullo said afterward. He added that he had sensed something was off with Marte on Monday morning but believed his second baseman would eventually show up.
"We deal with a lot as baseball managers and coaches and teachers," Lovullo continued. "Sometimes you get disappointed, sometimes you get let down, but we're going to figure out how to work through this."
General manager Mike Hazen told Piecoro that Marte was still believed to be in Boston as of Monday night, but he was not sure if or when the second baseman would return. The Diamondbacks lost the game 11-1, then dropped the series finale 9-4 on Tuesday after surrendering 20 runs across the two games.
A recurring pattern: Marte's history of absences
This is the second consecutive season in which the Diamondbacks have placed Marte on the restricted list, and both episodes have revolved around a breakdown in communication.
Out of the All-Star break in 2025, Marte traveled to the Dominican Republic without alerting the team — a trip that came after his Scottsdale home was burglarized the night of the All-Star Game, an incident in which Marte said he lost roughly $400,000 worth of items. He missed the first series of the second half, and his unexcused absence became a talking point as members of the organization aired grievances to the media. Days later, Marte apologized.
In the final week of the 2024 season, Marte asked out of the lineup following a late-September collapse in Milwaukee — a decision that contributed to the Diamondbacks missing the postseason on the final day. The pattern has tested the patience of a clubhouse that has otherwise rallied around its soft-spoken star.
Outfielder Corbin Carroll, who shares the role of franchise cornerstone with Marte, said he reached out to his teammate during the day Monday, exchanging messages but not probing what was really going on.
"In full transparency, I think some of the players were probably thinking about the guy just out of care for our teammate, care for our brother, knowing that a member of our family was hurting in some way," Carroll told Arizona Sports' Burns & Gambo. "But at the same time, I feel like we're all professionals... I think the coaches did a great job of making sure we were locked in as much as we could be."
Why this matters: Lovullo's future and a fragile clubhouse
The most painful scene of the episode was Lovullo choking up in his postgame interview Monday night, breaking down even though he knew Marte was not in physical or emotional distress. Lovullo admitted he knew something was brewing earlier in the day, raising the possibility that Marte had asked for a day off and been told no — or that the manager had insisted he play as the designated hitter. Either way, a player accustomed to being catered to may have met rare resistance from the manager who has long protected him.
The stakes extend beyond one lost series. Marte has five years and roughly $87.5 million remaining on his contract, including an $11.5 million player option in 2031, when he will be 37. If the Diamondbacks miss the postseason for a third consecutive year, columnist Dan Bickley argues, the franchise is more likely to keep Marte and move on from Lovullo — a manager who has absorbed countless bullets for his star.
"If Lovullo loses his job because of Marte, it might represent the worst thing a player has ever done to a manager," Bickley wrote. "One who showed him nothing but love and grace."
That loyalty has been mutual at times. During the 2025 fallout, shortstop Geraldo Perdomo interrupted a Lovullo press conference to defend Marte and ask the media to back off. This time, the betrayed feeling was rawer, and players were left processing in real time.
"Just now knowing that he's OK, him and his family, there's not something too crazy going on there, I think when something like this happens, that's just where your mind goes and wants to make sure what's going on there," Carroll said.
Where things stand now: MRI, restricted list and the wild-card race
As of Tuesday, Marte had been sent back to Phoenix for an MRI on his knee, according to reports from Piecoro and MLB.com's Steve Gilbert. Lovullo told reporters pregame Tuesday he still had not heard from Marte. The Diamondbacks return to Chase Field after Wednesday's series finale in Boston, opening a homestand Friday against the Cincinnati Reds.
Marte remains on the restricted list, and the timeline for his return is unclear. The Diamondbacks entered Tuesday one game back of the third National League wild-card spot, later falling to two games behind the San Diego Padres and three behind the Philadelphia Phillies after the losses in Boston.
For all the turbulence, Marte's production remains irreplaceable. Even in what has been an up-and-down season by his lofty standards, he leads Arizona in hits (117), home runs (21) and RBIs (67). His résumé includes a 2019 season in which he hit .329 with 32 homers and finished fourth in NL MVP voting, an NLCS MVP award during Arizona's 2023 World Series run, a record 20-game postseason hitting streak, and a Silver Slugger Award in 2024, when he slugged a career-high 36 home runs.
What happens next for Marte and the Diamondbacks
The immediate question is medical: what the MRI reveals about Marte's left knee and whether it explains — or excuses — his disappearance. The larger question is relational: whether the trust between Marte, his manager and his teammates can be repaired in time for a playoff push.
The Diamondbacks signed Marte to a six-year, $116.5 million extension in April 2025, betting on the player rather than trading him this offseason. That bet now looks shakier than ever. If Marte returns and performs, the episode may fade into an uncomfortable footnote. If he does not — or if the pattern repeats — the organization faces a reckoning that could cost Lovullo his job and reshape the franchise's core.
Key takeaways
- Ketel Marte was placed on the restricted list on Aug. 17, 2026, after failing to show up for a game against the Boston Red Sox.
- It is the second straight season Marte has landed on the restricted list because of communication breakdowns.
- Manager Torey Lovullo grew emotional postgame, and Corbin Carroll acknowledged the clubhouse was distracted by concern for Marte.
- Marte was sent back to Phoenix for an MRI on his left knee, and his return date remains unclear.
- The Diamondbacks sit two games out of the final National League wild-card spot.
