Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte is dealing with personal matters, leading to his exclusion from Monday's lineup, per Francys Romero. Marte traveled with the Diamondbacks to Boston ahead of his team's series against the Red Sox, though he didn't show up to the ballpark on Monday—leading to his placement on the restricted list and league-wide speculation as to why he wasn't present. Per Romero, Marte is day-to-day, but there isn't an estimated date for his return.
The restricted list doesn't have a set minimum nor maximum time limit, so Marte can return to the team whenever he sees fit. In the meantime, Jose Fernandez came up to MLB from Triple-A to replace the two-time Silver Slugger on the roster. Fernandez batted seventh for the Diamondbacks and played third base in their blowout loss to the Red Sox on Monday.
Marte would certainly have helped the offense in their loss, as he — per usual — has been one of their better offensive contributors this season. The infielder struggled for results early in the season, but started to pick up the pace in May, when he hit four homers and drove in 22 runs while posting an .869 OPS. He carried his momentum into June, posting an even higher OPS while doubling his home run count from May.
July proved a little more difficult for Marte, as his OPS sat around .600 for the entire month, but he seems to have figured things out in August, as he has multiple hits in three of his last five games. On the year, he has 21 homers and 67 RBIs, posting an above-average .760 OPS. After their loss on Monday, the Diamondbacks remain one game behind the San Diego Padres as they look to claim the final spot in the Wild Card.
They still lead the Miami Marlins by two games after their loss to the Philadelphia Phillies, but they'll need to find a way to beat one of the hottest teams in baseball during their current series in order to maintain their position. Marte's absence will obviously play a big part in the team's composition for however long he may be out, especially when his potential replacements aren't nearly as productive as he is. Arizona will hope to get him back before the end of their series against the Red Sox, which they will continue Tuesday at 7:10 p.m.
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