Ketel Marte returns to second base versus Astros

Marte’s home run was his 22nd of the season. He hit a solo shot off Astros reliever AJ Blubaugh in the eighth inning to tie the game 3-3. Marte’s home run was his first since August 11 against the Rockies, a span of six games. He’s hitting .251 with a .766 OPS and 68 RBI in what’s been a season to forget for the three-time All-Star.

This is apparently a planned day off for Marte, who was just activated from the injured list on Monday with a knee injury. Marte had been the DH for the first two games of the series, so Gabriel Moreno will take that spot today with James McCann catching.

FanGraph’s Eric Longenhagen wrote that Marte didn’t appear to be having any issues with his troublesome left knee during a couple bridge league games in Arizona last week. That’s a positive sign. The 32-year-old second baseman is back at DH and hitting cleanup following a bizarre two-week saga that included his absence from Fenway Park, a knee injury subplot and a trip to an Arizona casino that generated plenty of social media buzz. At the end of the day, Marte appears healthy and ready to help Arizona with their playoff push, which means fantasy managers shouldn’t hesitate to put him back in their lineups.

Romero claims that Marte will DH on Monday and also address his teammates before the game. While the second part may not seem important in fantasy, locker room dynamics can absolutely impact player and team performance, and this has been one of the more unique situations we’ve seen. We assume the Diamondbacks will be happy to have Marte back in the lineup as they try to hold off the Padres for the final NL Wild Card spot.

Expectations are that Marte, currently on the 10-day IL with a knee injury following his stint on the restricted list, will play during the series. If the D-backs hold off activating him until Tuesday, they wouldn’t have to send down someone to make room for him. But, then, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. is close to returning, too, so someone (Jose Fernandez?) is getting sent down pretty soon.

It’ll be his first game action since hitting the injured list with a knee issue last week. Lovullo reaffirmed that Marte remains on track to return from the injured list when first eligible for Monday’s series opener against the Phillies.

Marte’s bizarre odyssey appears to be coming to an end. The 32-year-old second baseman will return to Arizona’s lineup after missing roughly two weeks with left knee inflammation. He’ll obviously need to address his off-field actions with his teammates upon returning, but the Diamondbacks could certainly use his formidable bat in the lineup as they attempt to make a playoff push over the final month of the regular season.

Triples are easier to come by in Arizona than other parks, but it’s still pretty impressive that Vargas now has five of them in 375 at-bats at the age of 36. The veteran infielder has put together the best season of his career with an OPS of .714 and an RBI total of 65 that doubles any previous campaign.

The meeting was described as productive. The outcome from that, is an expectation that Marte will be placed on the 10-day injured list prior to Friday’s series opener against the Reds, as he’s dealing with inflammation in his hamstring and his knee. The Diamondbacks are hopeful that he’ll be able to return to action after a short stint on the injured list. It’s a tough spot for fantasy managers in redraft leagues without IL spots, as he’s going to miss a couple of weeks at a minimum and who knows what’s going to happen after that.

Still no real news here. Marte is supposed to be undergoing an MRI on his left knee in Arizona, but he remains on the restricted list for now.