Ketel Marte No-Shows Diamondbacks Game in Boston, Placed on Restricted List for Second Time in a Year

Ketel Marte made it to Boston. He just didn't make it to the ballpark.

The Diamondbacks second baseman was scratched from Monday night's lineup against the Red Sox at Fenway Park, and Arizona didn't announce the change until roughly 10 to 15 minutes before first pitch, according to multiple reports including Sports Illustrated and CBS Sports. Marte was placed on the restricted list. Infielder Jose Fernandez was recalled from Triple-A Reno to fill the roster spot.

According to Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic, Marte traveled with the team from Atlanta to Boston and was expected to serve as designated hitter Monday. He simply never showed up at the park. Piecoro reported Marte is "doing OK physically, he just didn't show up to the ballpark."

Manager Torey Lovullo didn't hide his confusion after the 11-1 loss.

"It's been a crazy day," Lovullo said, according to MLB Trade Rumors, citing Alex D'Agostino of Sports Illustrated. "All I know is he's dealing with a personal issue. We're trying to figure that out. He didn't show up today and he was put on the restricted list. That's as much as I know right now."

Lovullo said communication with Marte had been "very little" and that he was doing his best to reach out. He said he believes Marte is still at the team's hotel in Boston, a detail also reported by John Gambadoro of 98.7 FM, though the team wasn't positive.

The restricted list is MLB's designation for players who are away from the team for non-injury reasons, without pay and without accruing service time. There's no minimum or maximum length. A player returns whenever the situation resolves.

This is Marte's second stint on the restricted list in just over a year. The first came after the 2025 All-Star break, when Marte's Scottsdale home was burglarized during the break and he lost $400,000, according to the New York Post. He flew to the Dominican Republic afterward and missed three games, a decision that reportedly irritated some teammates given the timing in a playoff race. Marte later apologized publicly.

That wasn't the only friction point. Earlier this season, reports surfaced that Marte skipped a game against the Dodgers, with Shohei Ohtani on the mound, citing lower back tightness. Lovullo pushed back hard on the idea that this reflected any clubhouse dysfunction.

"I can wholeheartedly tell you that Ketel has been an unbelievable player for the Arizona Diamondbacks for a long period of time," Lovullo said in June, according to Yahoo Sports. "There are days off that are needed, they're fairly scripted, and we ask for his input... But there's this underlying theme that he's not a good teammate, and it's pulling at the fabric of the clubhouse chemistry, which is not true at all."

Field Level Media reported Lovullo made a similar point at the time: "What I ask that stops is that theme that something is wrong in our clubhouse or something isn't right in our clubhouse because of Ketel Marte. That couldn't be further from the truth."

The timing Monday could hardly be worse for Arizona. The Diamondbacks are 66-60, sitting one game behind the San Diego Padres for the final National League Wild Card spot, according to CBS Sports. They lead the Miami Marlins by two games in that race. Nolan Arenado is also day-to-day with a torso injury and may need a trip to the injured list, which is part of why Fernandez was already traveling with the team on the taxi squad.

Marte has been productive when on the field this season, batting .249 with 21 home runs and 67 RBIs and an OPS around .760, according to Newsweek. He struggled in July before a resurgence in August, going multi-hit in three of his last five games before Monday's absence.

Marte is signed through at least 2030 on a six-year, $105 million contract with Arizona, with an $11.5 million player option for 2031, according to CBS Sports. He ranks third in franchise history in WAR at 34.9 and has made three All-Star teams.

No outlet has reported what the specific personal issue is, and the Diamondbacks have not said publicly whether Marte remained in Boston overnight or left the city. Lovullo indicated the team believes, but isn't certain, that Marte is still at the hotel. There's no timetable for his return, and the restricted list carries no deadline forcing one. The Diamondbacks continue their series against the Red Sox on Tuesday at 7:10 p.m. ET, and whether Marte is in that lineup remains an open question.