If there was any question as to how fans were going to respond to Ketel Marte’s return to the Diamondbacks, those vanished on Monday night at Chase Field in the 2-1 loss to Philadelphia.
Fans booed Marte when the lineups were announced before the game. They booed him when he came out to stretch with teammates down the left field line.
But they saved their loudest jeers for when he came to the plate for his first at-bat in the top of the second inning, and then booed some more after he bounced out to first base.
Marte was asked before the game if he had a message for fans. He shook his head without saying a word.
Ketel Marte 'failed' Lovullo, has nothing for fans
Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte explained his decision not to show up to the ballpark earlier this month in Boston as a “moment of frustration,” saying he has already apologized to some teammates and planned to stand in front of the entire team “like a man” and own up to his mistakes.
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Aug 31, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; A fan in the crowd gives thumbs down to Arizona Diamondbacks designated hitter Ketel Marte in the second inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
In a session with reporters that lasted fewer than 10 minutes at Chase Field on Monday, Aug. 31, Marte spoke alongside an interpreter, saying multiple times he was looking forward to talking with and apologizing to his teammates.
“I’m going to stand up in front of them and ask forgiveness,” Marte said in Spanish. “I hope they understand. We’re human. We all make mistakes or whatever.”
Marte was reinstated from the injured list before the Diamondbacks’ game against the Phillies. He was in the lineup, batting fourth and serving as the designated hitter.
Speaking in measured tones, Marte did not go into great detail about not showing up to Fenway Park on Aug. 17, a decision that prompted the club to place him on the restricted list.
“It was a moment of frustration,” he said. “I’m the type of person that when something is going on in my life, I don’t like to talk to anyone about it, don’t want anyone to know when life weighs heavy on me. That’s it.”
He was asked if his frustration was related to manager Torey Lovullo.
“Torey, nothing,” he said. “I get along really well with Torey. In that instance, I failed him by not talking with him. Not coming to the stadium was a difficult decision for me and for my family. That day, I woke up, my body was in pain, my knees. All of that affected me. I made the decision myself, no one with the team.”
Lovullo said last week he felt “betrayed” by Marte’s actions, including his lack of communication.
Marte’s most controversial moment of the session came in the form of a non-answer. He was asked if he had anything he wanted to say to Diamondbacks fans. He simply shook his head.
Lovullo, who spoke to reporters about a half hour later, tried to defend Marte’s handling of the question — “I know that he loves the fans,” he said — and then acknowledged being “a little bit” concerned about how fans might treat him during the game.
“He’s an emotional kid,” Lovullo said. “I know what he responds to, and there are times that I do (treat him harshly) and it doesn't end well sometimes. He does not respond to that. I just want everybody to be patient with him, care for him, and support him because he feels the energy from people.
“He walks into this room and feels what's happening immediately. I don't have that gift.”
Marte seemed to scoff at another question. He was asked if he considered the optics of his decision to go to a local casino one night last week while the Diamondbacks were playing a game across town at Chase Field. Marte was the primary topic of conversation at the ballpark earlier in the day.
Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte triples in the first inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park on July 6, 2026.
“I’ve been injured before,” Marte said. “Those are things I do to have fun and do something different in my life. It’s a personal thing.”
Lovullo said he was going to “demand” that Marte meet with the team as a whole rather than in smaller groups.
“I’m going to stand in front of my teammates like a man,” Marte said. “I don't want to make any excuses so they understand me.”
Lovullo went out of his way to praise Marte, mentioning how “proud” he was of him to sit at the dais in the interview room and address a room packed full of reporters.
“I do realize the challenges that he has with expressing himself,” Lovullo said. “But he was able to express to me prior to sitting down with you guys where he was at. I'm satisfied. Hopefully, some of the things he said to you guys, you guys are satisfied.
“And then he has a little bit more work to do in front of his teammates, which I know he said two or three times (to reporters) that he was going to go and talk to his teammates today. I'm grateful for that. I think we're going to put this behind us as soon as he does that.”
The day did not pass, however, without another drip of Marte controversy. According to a report by Arizona Sports, Marte had another unexcused ballpark absence in 2023 when he did not report to Yankee Stadium for a game that September. Lovullo said at the time Marte was scratched due to illness, but Lovullo did not dispute Monday’s report.
“That article was pretty accurate, I'll say that,” Lovullo said. “I don't want to talk about that. We're moving forward. But that article was pretty close.”
That means that in three of the past four years Marte has not shown up to the ballpark for games. He missed another game in 2024 in late September when he asked for a day off, citing his physical condition.
