Diamondbacks All-Star second baseman and MVP candidate Ketel Marte could return to the lineup shortly. Marte told Dbacks reporter Jody Jackson that his left ankle is feeling better and could return to the lineup Saturday against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Ketel Marte told me he’s feeling better, maybe in the lineup tomorrow.
— Jody Jackson (@Jody_Jackson) August 16, 2024
That’s certainly good news for the Diamondbacks, who have missed their MVP candidate in each of the past three games. Kevin Newman, who manager Torey Lovullo called a godsend on Wednesday, has done an admirable job of filling in. Marte is not in the lineup for Friday’s game against Tampa Bay, with Blaze Alexander getting the start. Alexander was called up on Wednesday to provide more infield coverage while Marte is day-to-day after reaggravating an ankle injury originally suffered last Saturday vs. Philadelphia.
Game 123.
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???? St. Petersburg pic.twitter.com/5CVJ1riVm5— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) August 16, 2024
Marte has been a big reason behind the team’s success, hitting .324 with 11 home runs. His strong run has him near the top of the National League’s Most Valuable Player race along with the Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani. On the season as a whole, Marte has hit .298 with 30 home runs and has been 51% better than the average major league hitter with a 151 wRC+. Combined with quality defense at the keystone, he has put up 6.1 bWAR/5.4 fWAR.
Jackson also posted a video on X of Marte taking ground balls at shortstop.
Ketel moving around. He was running earlier and was moving ok pic.twitter.com/ui7gKy1BV0
— Jody Jackson (@Jody_Jackson) August 16, 2024
The Diamondbacks lineup is starting to get healthier with Marte’s impending return and Christian Walker starting to make his way back from a left oblique strain. Back on Tuesday, Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said that Walker is asymptomatic and has begun tee work. There should be later updates on the status of Marte, Walker, and Gabriel Moreno coming from Lovullo. Stay tuned for those.
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Michael McDermott covers the Arizona Diamondbacks, Arizona Cardinals, and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @MichaelMcDMLB
