Everything is fine inside the Arizona Diamondbacks‘ clubhouse, despite what others may believe. Torey Lovullo shut down rumors of clubhouse tension on Tuesday. The D’backs manager made it clear he stands firmly behind his star second baseman, Ketel Marte, after reports claimed people in the organization were frustrated with Marte taking days off.

“What I ask that stops is the theme that something is wrong in our clubhouse because of Ketel Marte. That couldn’t be further from the truth,” Torey Lovullo said in Marte’s defense, per Jose M Romero via Foul Territory. “He has been a great teammate, a great human being, a great husband, a great father, and he happens to be one of the best players in the National League. That’s what I’m focused on.”

The narrative surrounding Marte started from a recently published USA Today report claiming that the player’s taking off days are frustrating some among the D’backs.

This season, Marte has played 62 games for Arizona, fewer than only Geraldo Perdomo and Corbin Carroll (63 each). His most recent absence came against the Los Angeles Dodgers on June 3. With Shohei Ohtani on the mound, the D’backs lost the game.

Marte has dealt with recurring lower back and hamstring issues in 2026. To avoid a long-term injured list stint, he has gone on periodic rests, keeping the issues from flaring up. According to Lovullo, those rest days have not triggered clubhouse frustration.

“I can wholeheartedly tell you that Ketel has been an unbelievable player for the Arizona Diamondbacks for a long period of time,” Lovullo said, per AZ Central. “There are days off that are needed, they’re fairly scripted, and we ask for his input. When the athlete gives us input, we’re going to listen.”

In his tenth season with the D’backs, the back-to-back All-Star is batting .253 for a .755 OPS with 11 home runs. With Arizona ranking second in the NL West, Lovullo believes Marte will help the team win games and secure a playoff spot.

“He’s going to help us win baseball games. He’s going to help us get to where we want to,” Lovullo reportedly stated. “It’s just one of those things where it’s spinning away from us, and I want to make sure I address it and defend the player, because I believe in the player and I know the player.”

Marte has proven his manager right. The game after his day off, he won the game for Arizona with a walk-off home run against the Dodgers. On Tuesday, despite losing to the Miami Marlins, Marte’s offense was on point. He went 3-for-5 and drove in 3 RBIs. The multi-hit game, however, on the heels of a hitless streak against the Washington Nationals.

There were rumors he might be traded last winter, but he now has a full no-trade clause. He earned this right by playing 10 years in the big leagues and five years with the same team. As the manager, Torey Lovullo dismisses rumors about Marte sparking clubhouse frustration, let’s take a look at how it all started.

What did the USA Today report say?

On Sunday, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale first reported on the friction. He wrote that Marte’s habit of taking days off was annoying some people in the organization.

“Meanwhile, Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte, who the D-backs tried to trade during the winter, continues to frustrate segments of the organization by opting to take days off. He sat last week when Shohei Ohtani, the Los Angeles Dodgers, pitched against the Diamondbacks, and then played the next day and hit a walk-off homer,” he wrote.

Marte is currently under a six-year, $116.5 million contract that runs through 2030 with a full no-trade clause. However, this offseason, the D’backs tried to trade him and were involved in some active talks. However, in January, general manager Mike Hazen stated that they are not entertaining the idea of a trade anymore.

This year, Marte has missed four games so far, including one against the Dodgers. As per Nightengale, it has displeased a few inside the organization.

The issue about Marte missing games feels like a repeat of last summer. In 2025, things got tense when Marte missed three big games right after the All-Star break. His Scottsdale home was robbed on July 15 while he was away. The team put him on the restricted list. Teammates were reportedly upset that he missed games during a playoff push.

After he returned to the team, Marte apologized for missing those games. Marte explained that he was “frustrated” and in a “bad spot” due to the burglary incident. This year, Lovullo is stepping up to defend Marte early.

The Arizona Diamondbacks have already moved past the issues with Marte missing games last season. As Lovullo made it clear, they are focused on doing what’s best for the players and the team. It’s high time the rumors should be put to rest as well.