There was more behind Ketel Marte’s stunt in Boston than just his bum knee.
The three-time All-Star, who refused to leave his hotel room to play in a game against the Red Sox on Aug. 17, is facing the loss of a close family member, according to someone close to Marte who he did not authorize to speak publicly, per The Athletic.
It comes after Marte lost his maternal grandmother in the spring of 2025.
The Diamondbacks, in a race for the third and final NL wild-card spot against the Padres, waited until the very last second to place Marte on the restricted list without pay for the second straight season. They posted their lineup 15 minutes out from first pitch, announcing Jose Fernandez was recalled from Triple-A Reno.
The team knew where Marte was, people briefed on the situation told The Athletic, and they were in contact with him through his agent, Charisse Espinosa-Dash. However, no one knew, including his agent, whether he would show up to Fenway Park.
The same person close to Marte said he now recognizes that the decision was wrong.
“When he’s frustrated, he retreats,” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said. “This was a classic case of that.”
Lovullo admitted he felt left out to dry by his player.
“It’s kind of getting your heart ripped out by someone you really care about,” Lovullo told the outlet. “And I felt I did deserve better.”
Lovullo wasn’t alone in this thoughts. Arizona general manager Mike Hazen commented on the influence it has had over the clubhouse.
“What goes on in the clubhouse is extremely important to us. We’re not blind to it. We talk about it all the time,” he said. “The players and how they feel and being comfortable and competing on a day-in, day-out basis, we listen to them. And we understand. I can’t always make decisions in that direction.”
Even one anonymous player told the outlet, “Typical Ketel. Just leaving. It is what it is.”
After the stunt, Marte apologized to Lovullo and Hazen in an hours-long meeting with Espinosa-Dash present.
The Diamondbacks went on to move him from the restricted list to the injured list, and his first chance to come off the IL is Monday.
However, Marte will likely have to do damage control among his teammates for leaving them, and after he was recently was seen at an Arizona casino last week.
The casino appearance was a “slap in the face,” one of Marte’s teammates told The Athletic.
It’s unknown if Marte will face any repercussions from the team, but it doesn’t seem the Diamondbacks are in the business to do so.
“He’s an extremely talented player,” Hazen said Wednesday. “At some point, there’s a balance between what you are willing to deal with to get a level of production that can win you baseball games. We’re in the business of winning baseball games.”
This season, the two-time Silver Slugger has a .760 OPS with 21 home runs and 67 RBIs.
