Did Ketel Marte Injure His Back in Final At Bat Friday Night ?

The star second baseman was in obvious discomfort after a swing to strike out against Yuki Matsui

Jun 6, 2024; San Diego, California, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte (4) rounds the bases after hitting a two-run home run during the seventh inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-USA TODAY Sports at Petco Park. | Denis Poroy-USA TODAY Sports

UPDATE: Ketel Marte was originally in Saturday's lineup but a lineup change filed by the Diamondbacks has removed him (along with Gabriel Moreno). Marte was scratched with Lower Back Tightness. Gabriel Moreno has been scratched with an illness.

Ketel Marte has been hands down the Diamondbacks best player in 2024. In fact by one measure, Baseball Reference WAR, the only player in the National League who ranks higher is the Dodgers Mookie Betts.

NL WAR Leaders through June 7th | Jack Sommers

A couple of days ago Aaron Hughes made the case that Marte should be the choice for NL Second base All Star. That story is HERE. Considering his importance to the Diamondbacks, and the fact that he is not surrounded by as many stars as Betts, a case can easily be made he's been the most valuable player in the league to this point in the season.

Marte is currently batting .282 with an .848 OPS, has 13 homers, 41 runs scored and 35 RBI. In a season where MLB averages have dropped to just .240 BA and .699 OPS, his OPS+ is 141, or roughly 41% better than the league average. Marte also has +10 defensive runs saved and has been playing Gold Glove caliber defense, making him the top one or two all around players in the league.

That's why any hint of an injury to him would be devastating to the Diamondbacks chances to get back to the post season. During his final at bat last night he struck out on a 1-2 pitch from Padres closer Yuki Matsui. He immediately bent over and winced in obvious pain afterwards.

#Dbacks start second baseman Ketel Marte appears to have tweaked his back in his final at bat last night against the #Padres pic.twitter.com/8bvtk6Agr5

— Jack Sommers (@shoewizard59) June 8, 2024

Marte's breakout 2019 season ended prematurely on September 17th of that year due to a stress reaction in his lower back. In 2021 he missed over 70 games due to hamstring issues, which continued to bother him throughout a down 2022 season. Marte was fully healthy in 2023, and had a strong second half before setting a Postseason consecutive hit streak record at 20.

The Diamondbacks are already beset with injuries to their rotation with Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, and Eduardo Rodriguez all out. Geraldo Perdomo and Alek Thomas are finally on the cusp of returning from their respective injuries. That's contributed heavily to a 30-34 start for the reigning National League Champion.

Marte was originally in the Saturday lineup, but has since been scratched. We are still waiting for Torey Lovullo to clarify his status.