The Arizona Diamondbacks have placed second baseman Ketel Marte on the restricted list, the club announced on Monday night prior to their road game against the Boston Red Sox. In a corresponding move, the Diamondbacks recalled infielder Jose Fernandez from Triple-A. Marte was placed on the restricted list after he failed to show up at Fenway Park for Monday night's game, the Arizona Republic reports.
Marte is physically fine, according to the Republic. Teams may place players on the Major League Baseball restricted list for unexcused, personal, or non-baseball reasons. Players on the restricted list are not paid and do not accrue MLB service time until returned to the roster.
The move to the restricted list comes almost exactly one year after Marte publicly apologized for being away from the team after the 2025 All-Star break. Marte's absence followed an incident in which his in-season home was burglarized. Eventually, some of his Arizona teammates expressed frustration over his absences and off-day requests in the midst of a playoff race.
Marte, 32, has not played up to his typical All-Star standards in 2026, but he was still enjoying a productive season for the contending D-backs. Marte, a three-time All-Star selection, is in the midst of a six-year, $105 million contract with Arizona that runs through at least the 2030 season with an $11.5 million player option for 2031. With a career WAR of 34.9 with Arizona, he ranks third on the all-time franchise WAR leaderboard.
Fernadez was able to replace Marte in manager Torey Lovullo's lineup because he was already in Boston in case third baseman Nolan Arenado needed to be placed on the injured list, MLB.com reports. The Diamondbacks entered the series opener against the Red Sox with a 66-59 record and only one game behind the Padres for the third and final wild-card spot in the National League.
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