The Arizona Diamondbacks reinstated second baseman Ketel Marte from the restricted list and transferred the three-time All-Star to the 10-day injured list due to left knee inflammation on Thursday.
Marte and his agent, Charisse Espinosa-Dash, met with Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen and manager Torey Lovullo on Thursday afternoon in Scottsdale, Ariz., to discuss what transpired in the wake of Marte not showing up for the team’s Monday game in Boston.
According to Hazen, Marte received an injection in the knee to help with the inflammation that was found by an MRI.
“I’m not gonna get into specifics,” Hazen said of his talks with Marte and Espinosa-Dash. “I feel like the conversation and meeting was productive. We discussed the last week. That, obviously, I’m not going to get into. He’ll talk to his teammates at some point and we’ll go from there.”
Lovullo had texted with Marte but the two had not spoken since the Monday no-show, and teammates also struggled to track down the 32-year-old veteran. Arizona shortstop Geraldo Perdomo said he did hear from his double-play partner on Tuesday and confirmed the MRI.
Marte exited the Diamondbacks’ Aug. 14 game against the Atlanta Braves with knee soreness and sat out the next day. He returned to play second base on Sunday and traveled with the team for the series against the Red Sox.
The drama began when he did not report to the ballpark on Monday, leaving Lovullo in the dark about his lineup until 20 minutes before game time. The team subsequently put Marte on the restricted list.
Due to the fact that Marte was on the restricted list, his IL stint cannot be backdated to Sunday. He will need to miss 10 days, starting with Thursday.
On Wednesday, Arizona snapped a three-game losing streak with a 7-6, 10-inning win in Boston. The Diamondbacks, who were idle on Thursday, will host the Cincinnati Reds for a three-game series that begins on Friday.
The Diamondbacks are one game behind the San Diego Padres for the final wild-card spot in the National League.