The Arizona Diamondbacks were without the services of one of their biggest stars on Monday night.
Three-time All-Star Ketel Marte flew to Boston with the organization ahead of the club's series against the Red Sox. On Monday night, the Diamondbacks and Red Sox kicked off the three-game series, but Marte was nowhere to be found.
Arizona waited until just before the first pitch to reveal their starting lineup because they were hoping Marte would show up. But he just didn't.
After the game, Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo addressed the issue.
"It''s been a crazy day. All I know is that he's dealing with a personal issue. We're trying to figure that out. He didn't show up today and he was put on the restricted list. That's as much as I know right now. I'm sure in time we'll start to uncover and unravel some information," Lovullo said.
Lovullo made sure to mention how much he loves and cares for Marte.
“We deal with a lot as baseball managers, coaches and teachers, so sometimes you get disappointed, sometimes you get let down, but we’re going to figure out how to work through this,” Lovullo said. “… I just love him and care for him.”
John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM Phoenix had a brief update on Tuesday.
"From what I can gather Ketel Marte was seen at the team hotel bar with a group of people around 11 pm [Sunday]. So definitely was seen at the hotel late last night. I have covered sports in this market for 30 years- not sure I have seen anything quite as bizarre as this. Even more bizarre than James Jones having to hand out free beer because Josh Jackson failed to show up at an autograph signing," Gambadoro wrote.
On top of this, ESPN's Enrique Rojas reported that Marte remains in Boston and is dealing with a "personal situation."
"Source: Ketel Marte remains in Boston, dealing with a personal situation. He and his family are fine. Marte has been in communication with the Diamondbacks through the appropriate channels and hopes to resolve his matter as soon as possible to return to playing baseball," Rojas wrote.
Chaos, to say the least.