A four-game split against the Los Angeles Dodgers hardly seems like a terrible outcome for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Yet, a shutout loss at home fueled the noise around Ketel Marte for the D-backs star. 

“[He] 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,” Bob Nightengale reported in his USA Today article this Sunday. 

Last week, the D’backs faced the Dodgers for the second time this season. And unlike a sweep in the opening series of 2026, the LA side had to settle for a 2-2 result. The most one-sided game took place last Wednesday when the Dodgers, thanks to Shohei Ohtani’s 6 scoreless innings, won 7-0. This infuriated many in Arizona as Marte was scratched from the roster. 

According to the Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo, Marte had “full body fatigue,” which forced him to sit out one game against the powerful opponents. Arizona fans were eager to see their HR leader face off against the league’s best pitcher. They not only missed a high-profile matchup but also suffered a nasty loss.

That’s exactly what Nightengale referred to.

Ketel Marte has high durability and usually plays 90-95% of games per season. But the timing and nature of his rest request raised some eyebrows this time. Some suspected that he wanted to skip facing Shotime. After all, Marte stands at 1-for-5 in 6 plate appearances against Shohei Ohtani in his career. And his batting average is at .200 with a .333 OBP against the two-way phenom.

However, it was a mutual decision between the club and the player, and he has taken days off in the past as well.

This season, he has played 61 of the team’s 65 games so far. Marte was absent in May due to an undisclosed illness and earlier in April because of lower back tightness. 

In fact, the same tightness in his hamstrings and lower back has made him miss several games throughout his career. The longest was in 2025, right after his 6-year, $116.5 million extension, and in 2021 for a month each. That’s why Lovullo defended him.

“He battles this all year long, and you guys know how much he means to this team, I know how much he means to this team.”

However, the front office isn’t as supportive.

They wanted to trade him off last winter. With roughly $91 million still guaranteed to Marte through 2030, General Manager Mike Hazen wanted to offload the slugger before he reached his 10-and-5 this April. The plan was to sell him high while he was still at his prime and cut down on the payroll. But it didn’t work.

Their aggressive asking price repelled the Boston Red Sox, who were initially interested. And now his alleged intentional rest has fueled the tension in the clubhouse.

However, he hasn’t disappointed the team with his bat so far. 

The Diamondbacks’ slugger responds with a walk-off homer

Ketel Marte is one of the cornerstone players for the D’backs. He has managed 30-40 HRs per season with Arizona whenever he has been healthy. He is one of the key reasons for the Diamondbacks’ success this year.

Despite having a lower batting average (.250) than his teammates, Marte leads the franchise in HRs (11) and RBI (37). He rejoined the team for the 4th game with the Dodgers, and he chose to respond to the criticism the best way possible.

He delivered a 431-foot, 113 mph walk-off home run against the NL West leaders. And it was the second walk-off homer from the 32-year-old this season. 

This means he isn’t just productive. He is there when the team needs him.

“I know Shohei Ohtani, he knows Shohei Ohtani, it would be awesome to see that [matchup],” Lovullo shared. “We’re gonna have plenty of showdowns between these two. It’s gonna happen at some point,” Lovullo had defended the situation earlier. 

And he showed that the manager’s faith in him wasn’t misplaced. His walk-off home run helped the D’backs split the series. 

Right now, Arizona is tied for a Wild Card spot. And they are desperate to reach the postseason since their World Series loss against the Texas Rangers in 2023. Ketel Marte’s appearance in Tuesday’s game might or might not have changed the outcome. But every D’backs loyalist knows that they need him to remain in the playoff contention. 

Reaching and succeeding in October is way more important than one regular-season game. That’s why Lovullo noted, “I will trade one day for two weeks.”