How one swing turned Ketel Marte into the hottest hitter in MLB at the right time

It was no secret that the Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman struggled to find his All-Star form at the plate early this year. Paired with the bad luck of hard-hit balls, Marte wasn’t producing nearly enough as he usually would, chasing pitches and at times looking like he was pressing.

By May 12, the All-Star was hitting .208 with a .625 OPS. Everything changed on May 19 against the San Francisco Giants.

May 23, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte (4) watches after hitting a two run home run against Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Michael Lorenzen (24) during the fourth inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Anna Carrington-Imagn Images

Marte connected on the first walk-off home run of his career, lifting the D-Backs to a 5-3 win and later sweeping the series. Since that moment, the second baseman has become one of the hottest hitters in the stretch.

The second baseman has posted a .586 batting average with 13 RBIs, three home runs and a 1.069 slugging percentage since the walk-off.

The timing has been just as important as the production, as Arizona tries to capitalize on a stretch of its schedule against teams hovering near or below .500, knowing tougher competition is ahead — going 9-2 in its last 11 games before Tuesday’s matchup.

May 25, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte (4) hits a two-run RBI single against the San Francisco Giants during the sixth inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

Keeping Marte locked in could be the difference between padding wins now and playing catch-up later. Arizona is trying to get back into the National League West division race after a tough slump that had the team below .500 for some time. With Marte now producing, the Snakes are 29-24 to start the week.

Marte has also benefited from the growing presence of Corbin Carroll, who has also been hot at the plate, forming a dynamic one-two punch that can get on base for those behind them or allow the bottom of the order to set up power bats in key moments.

May 20, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte (4) celebrates with center fielder Ryan Waldschmidt (15) after hitting a two run home run in the third inning against the San Francisco Giants at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images

As Marte looks to continue his surge, the focus remains the same: keep that rhythm and carry it into a crucial month ahead.