Why Current Ketel Marte Drama is Different From 2025 Situation

The Arizona Diamondbacks, and much of the baseball world, are still searching for answers regarding the mysterious absence of All-Star second baseman Ketel Marte.

Marte was an unexpected no-show for game one of the Diamondbacks' series against the Red Sox in Boston. He was placed on the Restricted List as a result.

Since that moment, the drama has been vague. Marte was expected to head back to Arizona to get an MRI on his knee, though it's not clear if that was related to his absence. Marte's agent released a statement saying he is dealing with a personal matter; manager Torey Lovullo expressed concern for his player, as well.

But the Diamondbacks still don't exactly know what's going on — at least, as of earlier Thursday morning.

This is the second time in as many seasons Marte has been placed on the RL due to an unexcused absence. It happened just after the All-Star Break in 2025, as well, which led to a public apology from Marte.

But for as eerily similar as this year's situation might look, there are some distinct differences. Here they are:

Ketel Marte situation is different this year

Aug 10, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte against the Colorado Rockies at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

From an external, detail-free view of this situation, Marte's 2025 absence came with more extenuating circumstances.

According to Lovullo, it was not as much of a shock when Marte was not present for their second-half-beginning series with the St. Louis Cardinals at Chase Field last season.

"I had a little heads up last year. I didn't have a heads up this year," Lovullo said, after a moment's reflection. That was all the manager had to say regarding the differences between the 2025 and 2026 situations.

"It's not quite what happened last year, but it's similar," said Team President and CEO Derrick Hall.

Marte's 2025 absence

In 2025, Marte was in the midst of a bit more public hardship. He dealt with a fan heckling incident regarding his late mother in Chicago that left him in tears on the field. His home in Phoenix was robbed, leaving him concerned for his family's safety.

All of those circumstances do not necessarily excuse Marte taking a trip to the Dominican Republic and vacating his second base position while Arizona attempted to prevent a Deadline fire sale in 2025. But one could more easily understand how that story unfolded.

As Lovullo stated, he had a heads up at that time. The Diamondbacks, without their top hitter, swept the St. Louis Cardinals in three games out of the break.

Reports of organizational frustration with Marte came out. The second baseman later apologized publicly, and it appeared all parties had both moved on and learned from the situation. Until 2026.

Marte's 2026 absence was more of a shock

Aug 16, 2026; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte (4) runs to the dugout during the game against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the fourth inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Marte was seen at the team hotel in Boston on Sunday night. According to Hall, he appeared "just fine" at the time.

Lovullo said the next morning he had an inkling there would be an issue, but still expected Marte to come to the ballpark. That never happened.

We don't know what is going on with the second baseman personally — it may or may not be a serious issue, and passing concrete judgement would be irresponsible.

But Marte, despite having a down year offensively, has not been in the midst of much scrutiny this season. Some criticized him taking an off day with Shohei Ohtani on the mound for the Dodgers, but that blew over quickly. Marte had played the third-most games of any Diamondbacks hitter (just barely behind Corbin Carroll and Geraldo Perdomo) prior to his three missed games.

The tears in Lovullo's eyes as he first addressed the absence on Monday night are new. Hall referring to the situation as "a complete mystery" and "bizarre" is new. The two-game tailspin by a group of players that seemed more concerned than frustrated with their teammate was new.

Marte was supposed to meet with Arizona GM Mike Hazen in person on Thursday. It's not yet known if that has happened — or will still happen. Hopefully, answers are on the other side of that meeting.

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