Arizona Diamondbacks star Ketel Marte rejoined his team and was in the starting lineup as the designated hitter against the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday, ending a two-week absence from the club. Marte had left the team without authorization on August 17.
Marte addressed his teammates upon his return, expressing remorse for his actions. "I'm going to stand in front of my teammates like a man," he said through a translator. "I'm going to ask for forgiveness. We're human, we all commit mistakes." He acknowledged that the decision to leave was his own, stating, "No one made the decision for me, I'm the one that made the decision to not show up." Marte also mentioned his relationship with manager Torey Lovullo, admitting he "failed him by not showing up."
However, while Marte was away and placed on the restricted list before the team cited knee inflammation, videos surfaced showing him playing roulette at a casino. When asked about the videos, Marte stated, "I've been injured before, those are things that I do in my personal time."
This marks the fourth consecutive season that Marte has missed a game without team authorization, according to manager Torey Lovullo. Despite the repeated unauthorized absences, Marte was immediately placed back into the cleanup spot in the batting order for the Diamondbacks' playoff push. The team currently holds a 73-65 record and is competing for a Wild Card spot. Marte is under contract through 2031 with a full no-trade clause, giving him significant leverage.
Marte declined to comment when directly asked if he had a message for the Diamondbacks fans.
