Torey Lovullo Addresses Ketel Marte's Casino Sighting

The Ketel Marte story continues to wind. On Friday night, as the Arizona Diamondbacks were busy thrashing the Cincinati Reds, 9-0, at Chase Field, their IL-ridden second baseman was spotted out at a casino.

This sighting comes on the heels of an ongoing drama, which began with Marte no-showing to Fenway Park unexpectedly and landing on the Restricted List.

Since all of that unfolded, Marte has had a reportedly "productive" meeting with manager Torey Lovullo and GM Mike Hazen. He was reinstated from the RL and placed on the 10-day IL with inflammation in his knee, for which he is rehabbing at Salt River Fields.

But when videos of Marte hit social media, that caused an understandable stir among Arizona fans. So much so that Lovullo has been asked about it on multiple occasions.

On Friday night, Lovullo tangentially addressed the matter. This was what he said, in response to the expectations for a rehabbing player:

"Get your work done at Salt River, which typically is an early morning routine, and he was there at Salt River doing everything he was supposed to do. When you're turned loose from the medical team over there, you're allowed to go home and have an evening with your family.

"He's free to do whatever he wants. That's how I look at it. As long as he wakes up tomorrow morning and posts and gets his work done at Salt River, which I am certain he will, that's all that matters to me right now."

On Saturday, ahead of the D-backs' game two matchup with Cincinnati, Lovullo addressed the situation more head-on.

Torey Lovullo on Ketel Marte's casino night

Jul 5, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo against the Milwaukee Brewers at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Lovullo was a bit more blunt with his comments on Saturday, but he did maintain that Marte did not break any rules by being where he was. Players on the IL are not required to be present at games once their treatment or rehab concludes for the day.

"The optics weren't very good, and it's not a choice I would make... a choice a lot of people in this room wouldn't make, but Ketel's a grown man and he can make his own decisions, and he did not break any rules," Lovullo said (h/t Arizona Sports on X/Twitter).

"He was fully able to go there and do what he wanted to do, and like I said, he makes his own decisions."

Lovullo said Sunday would be a scheduled off day for Marte's rehab before beginning to ramp him back up toward taking swings in the cage on Monday.

The expectation is that Marte will also address his teammates regarding his absence at some point in the future, as well.

Ultimately, it might have been a bigger distraction for Marte to sit in the dugout next to his teammates Friday night, even if his whereabouts were poor from an optics perspective, as Lovullo noted.

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