Ketel Marte returned to the Arizona Diamondbacks' lineup on Monday night against the Philadelphia Phillies, making his first appearance since he no-showed a game in Boston on Aug. 17 and was subsequently placed on the injured list with a knee issue. Playing second base and batting cleanup, Marte was met with a mix of boos and cheers from the home crowd at Chase Field, with the boos growing louder after he grounded out in his first at-bat.
Marte, who had been absent from the lineup since the Aug. 17 game, addressed the media before the game, apologizing for the incident and taking full responsibility. "It's a moment of frustration," Marte said, according to CBS Sports. "In that instance, I failed him by not showing up. That morning I woke up, my body was in pain. No one made the decision for me. I'm the one who made the decision not to be there."
Marte, who spoke through an interpreter, also said he planned to apologize to his teammates directly. "I'm going to stand in front of my teammates like a man," he said, as reported by the New York Post. "I don't want any of my teammates to go through what I went through that morning." He added, "We're human, we all commit mistakes."
The Diamondbacks initially placed Marte on the restricted list after he failed to appear for the game at Fenway Park, later moving him to the 10-day injured list with mild left knee inflammation. During his absence, Marte was spotted at a casino while the team played a home game, a sighting that added to the scrutiny. Marte said he was at the casino on his "personal time," and Lovullo had previously defended him, saying he was "free to do whatever he wants."
Manager Torey Lovullo, who had expressed frustration over the lack of communication during the incident, asked fans for patience with Marte. "Ketel is complex," Lovullo said, according to CBS Sports. He also acknowledged that this was the fourth consecutive season Marte had missed a game without permission.
Lovullo also addressed the fan reaction pregame, saying he was "a little bit" concerned about how Marte might be received. "He's an emotional kid. He's a very emotional kid," Lovullo said, per Sports Illustrated. When asked if Marte had a message for the fans, Marte shook his head and remained silent. Lovullo said he believes Marte loves the fans despite his recent actions.
The incident is not the first time Marte has frustrated teammates, according to CBS Sports, which noted that he was away from the team after his home was broken into during last year's All-Star break and has faced criticism for requesting days off. Marte had started 116 of the team's first 125 games this season before the no-show. The 32-year-old is having a down season by his standards, after finishing third in MVP voting in 2024 and being an All-Star in the last two years.
Marte was also the subject of trade rumors in the offseason, but no deal was reached, and he gained full no-trade protection as a 10-and-5 player in April. That was the third time Arizona extended Marte, who previously signed five-year deals in 2018 and 2023. General manager Mike Hazen told The Athletic, "He's an extremely talented player" and "We're in the business of winning baseball games."