Lovullo: Ketel Marte dealing with personal issue

Lovullo added that it was Marte’s decision to undergo an MRI on his left knee back in Arizona. He also said that he hopes he’ll return before the end of the season. There are more questions than answers at this point in the ongoing Marte situation, but it’s safe to assume that he isn’t returning to Arizona’s lineup at any point in the near future. The hope for fantasy managers is that there will be a definitive update on his status at some point in the near future. It’s challenging to justify hanging onto him in shallow mixed leagues based on everything that has transpired since the Diamondbacks landed in Boston earlier this week.

The Ketel Marte saga continues. First it was a disappearance, then a personal issue, and now a potential knee injury. Rather than us getting any answers, this story is only become more muddled as no clear indication has been given as to why Marte didn’t show up to the park for Tuesday’s game and when or if he will be back. Hopefully we get a more definitive update soon, but nothing seems imminent right now.

Romero adds that Marte, who was placed on the restricted list by the Diamondbacks after failing to show up to Fenway Park for Monday’s series opener against the Red Sox, doesn’t have an estimated return date at the moment. It’s a complicated situation and fantasy managers should brace for the possibility that Marte is away from the club for an extended period. There should be a definitive update from the Diamondbacks on his status relatively soon.

Marte failed to show up at Fenway Park for Monday’s series opener against the Red Sox, according to MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert. It’s unclear whether how many additional games he’ll miss or whether there will be any further discipline from the club. The 32-year-old second baseman missed a game over the weekend with left knee soreness, but returned to Arizona’s lineup for Sunday’s series finale against Atlanta. Jose Fernandez was brought up from Triple-A Reno to fill his roster spot. There should be some much-needed clarity on his status following Monday’s game.

Marte was pulled from Friday night’s contest due to soreness in his left knee and sat out Saturday’s game as a precautionary measure. He’s right back in there at second base and batting cleanup against Braves’ righty Bryce Elder on Sunday afternoon in Atlanta.

Marte grounded out to first base in the first inning and manned his position defensively in the bottom of the first but was replaced when the Diamondbacks took the field in the second. As of now, it doesn’t sound like anything that should lead to an extended absence, but it may depend on how he’s feeling on Saturday.

Marte followed Corbin Carroll’s home run in the first inning with a solo blast off Tomoyuki Sugano. It was the last run the D-backs would score in the loss against the Rockies. Marte later knocked a base hit in the sixth. The 32-year-old second baseman is up to 21 homers, 63 runs scored, and 66 RBI while hitting .249/.310/.448 across 509 plate appearances.

It’s his fifth 20-homer season. The slumping Marte was 1-for-19 in his previous six games and was hitting .165 over his last 24 games.

Marte takes a seat with Ildemaro Vargas covering second base. Nolan Arenado is also getting a breather with Tim Tawa at the hot corner. The 32-year-old has hit a rough patch recently, hitting .200 (14-for-70) with two homers and eight RBI in 17 games since last month’s All-Star break.

Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo is switching things up against lefty Foster Griffin, moving Carroll into the leadoff spot after he had spent most of the season batting third. Ketel Marte drops to the cleanup spot as a result. It’s unclear whether the lineup tweak is a one-game wrinkle or the start of a larger trend against lefties. The 25-year-old franchise cornerstone has been shockingly-good against southpaws this season, hitting .353 (41-for-116) with four homers.