Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte and catcher Gabriel Moreno were both scratched from the lineup. The original version of the lineup had Marte batting second and Moreno batting seventh. Blaze Alexander and Tucker Barnhart have been inserted in the lineup at their respective positions, and right fielder Jake McCarthy has moved up to the second spot in the order. This is the updated starting lineup, long with the original.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Updated lineup:
Carroll | CF
McCarthy | RF
Pederson | DH
Walker | 1B
Gurriel | LF
Alexander | 2B
Suárez | 3B
Newman | SS
Barnhart | C https://t.co/wRBDXoN9qK— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) June 8, 2024
It’s unclear if Marte’s departure from the lineup stemmed from the end of Friday’s game, where it appeared he tweaked his back with a swing as noted by Jack Sommers from Inside the Diamondbacks. He had a stress reaction in his back in 2019, which cut his season short a couple of weeks early. It’s unclear if the move is precautionary or if there’s a concerning injury.
#Dbacks start second baseman Ketel Marte appears to have tweaked his back in his final at bat last night against the #Padres pic.twitter.com/8bvtk6Agr5
— Jack Sommers (@shoewizard59) June 8, 2024
Any sort of absence for Marte, who’s been the Diamondbacks’ most consistent hitter in 2024, would be detrimental as they’ve just put themselves back in the race for a Wild Card spot. Three of their projected five starting pitchers are on the injured list and Corbin Carroll mired in a slump all season. Marte is a dark horse candidate in the National League Most Valuable Player Race, currently ranked second in the National League with 3.5 bWAR, in large part due to his NL-leading 1.2 defensive WAR.
Additionally, Moreno missing time could be equally as problematic. The reigning Gold Glover behind the plate got off to a low start to the season but is turning it around at the plate. Tucker Barnhart and José Herrera serve as 40-man roster options behind the plate and prospect Adrian Del Castillo is knocking on the door. Del Castillo is hitting .330/.379/.594 with 23 doubles and 10 home runs for Triple-A Reno, but the team would also have to open up a spot on the 40-man roster to get him on the major league roster.
Stay tuned for more updates on the status of both Marte and Moreno.
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Michael McDermott covers the Arizona Diamondbacks and Arizona Cardinals for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @MichaelMcDMLB
