D-backs' Ketel Marte Will be Out for a "Series of Weeks"

Torey Lovullo gave further updates on his superstar second baseman's hamstring injury diagnosis

Arizona Diamondbacks infielder Ketel Marte during spring training workouts at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick on Feb. 26, 2021. | Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo gave an update on second baseman Ketel Marte's hamstring injury. After getting the full medical report, Lovullo said that Marte would miss a "series of weeks," but stressed there is no firm timeline for his return to play.

Lovullo described it as a grade one hamstring strain. While recovery times vary, most resources indicate a grade one strain requires at least two to three weeks to heal. Marte battled recurring hamstring injuries in 2021, requiring two separate IL stints of one month and three weeks. This time around the team is likely to be conservative in their approach to his treatment and recovery.

Marte is limited to rest and treatment currently. His next steps after the treatment phase will be to get him on his feet, and slowly transition into baseball activities, such as swinging a bat. While it's purely speculative at this point, it's reasonable to assume Marte will miss almost all of April, and the time away could potentially stretch well into May.

Marte is the Diamondbacks' best hitter, and since he's been out the D-backs offense has struggled to produce hits and runs. Marte is coming off a 2024 season in which he finished third in the National League MVP voting, batting .292 with 36 homers while playing Gold Glove caliber defense.

He picked up right where he left off, batting .346 with three doubles and a .930 OPS through his first eight games before the injury.

His replacements are Garrett Hampson and Tim Tawa. Hampson is a utility player with a career .240 batting average and .663 OPS. Most of that came playing his home games in Coors Field for the Colorado Rockies, and thus his career OPS+ is 72. He is 1-for-12 to start the season.

Tawa is a rookie with two Major League games under his belt. He hit 31 homers last year between Double-A and Triple-A, and was off to a very hot start for the Reno Aces when called up last weekend. Tawa was batting .391 with a 1.418 OPS, going 9-for-23 with three homers and 12 RBI in his first six games.

Tawa had a hit in his first MLB at bat on Saturday, but made a critical misplay in Monday night's game, potentially costing Zac Gallen three runs on his pitching line. He is generally considered to be a good defender however, and the bat should be decent. He's gone 0-for-6 with a walks since that first base hit.

Obviously there is no replacing Marte's production, but the drop-off could end up being very steep unless Tawa makes a quick adjustment. Meanwhile top prospect Jordan Lawlar is playing shortstop, third base, and a sprinkling of second base for the Aces. He's batting .294 on 10-for-34 batting and three doubles.

Blaze Alexander is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment Tuesday night, and could also be a call-up option within the next week or two.

Looming Bullpen Crunch

Kendall Graveman (back strain) and Kevin Ginkel (shoulder inflammation) both threw successful bullpen sessions on Tuesday without incident. They will be lined up to throw bullpens again on Friday. By Saturday we should be able to gain some clarity about how far away they are from potential rehab assignments.

Left-hander Jalen Beeks and right-hander Shelby Miller have both pitched extremely well for the D-backs to start the season. Beeks has given up one run in seven innings and Miller is unscored-upon in five innings.

Ryne Nelson has been excelling in a long relief role, including tossing three scoreless innings Monday night on just 31 pitches. Additionally, Drey Jameson has pitched well in three games for the Aces and is likely close to checking off additional recovery boxes such as pitching in back-to-back games. Bryce Jarvis has options and could be sent down to Reno if need be to clear one spot.

One way or the other, Graveman and Ginkel will need to reclaim their roster spots when they're ready. The team can likely afford to slow play their return for an extra week or two, but some tough decisions will have to be made before the end of April.

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