Report: Ketel Marte dealing with personal matters

Lovullo added that they’re trying to figure out the situation after Marte failed to show up to Fenway Park for Monday’s series opener against the Red Sox and was placed on the restricted list. It’s unclear how much time Marte is going to miss at the moment, but it doesn’t sound like his return is imminent, which means fantasy managers should brace for the possibility that his absence stretches beyond a few days. There should be a definitive update on his status at some point in the coming days.

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.

Marte was scratched from Thursday’s lineup late with a stiff back, but is back in the lineup today. Bobby Witt Jr. has told us this doesn’t necessarily mean you can be worry-free about Marte’s short-term future, but fantasy mangers can feel free to activate him against the Nationals and opener LHP Carson Palmquist.

Tyler Locklear moved into the lineup in his place, with Tim Tawa and Ildemaro Vargas switching positions. Consider Marte to be day-to-day.