The Arizona Diamondbacks' playoff push hits a mysterious roadblock as team leadership seeks answers regarding Ketel Marte’s sudden disappearance.
Bizarre is certainly one of the words that could be used to describe what's going on behind the scenes in Arizona.
The Arizona Diamondbacks are in the Wild Card conversation, but is that one they'll still be part of if Ketel Marte has played his final game in the 2026 season?
No one knows the exact whereabouts of Marte. His agent provided an update, but there's still no exact confirmation as to whether or when he'll return to the D-backs lineup.
In a recent radio interview with Arizona Sports, Diamondbacks president and CEO Derrick Hall didn't hold back on his thoughts, but he only shared as much information as he currently knows.
Hall doesn't mince words on this situation
"It's still a complete mystery. It's just bizarre," the president and CEO told Arizona Sports.
Hall continued, "I was on the road with the team. I can tell you, Sunday night at the hotel in Boston he [Marte] appeared just fine and then was just a no show, as you know,"
"Just bizarre, and we've tried to get answers," he added. "Quite honestly, I didn't even go to the game Monday night."
Hall discussed gifting his tickets to a son and his wife who live in the area, so he sent them and his wife to the game while he stayed back at the hotel.
He said he let Marte know he was there if he wanted to talk, but clearly, nothing ever ended up coming out of that situation.
Marte is still out indefinitely
The 32-year-old was expected to be a major part of this lineup down the stretch, but for whatever reason, there are a bunch of things going on that are putting attention on the team for all the wrong reasons.
Instead of the national media talking about the D-backs because they're a surging team who are fighting for a Wild Card spot, they're talking about the whereabouts of Marte, and that could be affecting the team as a whole.
The Dominican Republic native hasn't played since Sunday, Aug. 16. In his 469 at-bats this season, he's slashing .249/.314/.446, all three of which are the lowest they've been in quite some time.
Remember, Marte was a 6.8 WAR player in 2024. This season, his WAR sits at just 1.9.
That number may be one other players would dream of, but for Marte, it's a step in the wrong direction. All of that said, he's still one of the pieces they likely need to make the playoffs, so everyone is hoping this will be resolved sooner rather than later.
