The Diamondbacks put Ketel Marte on the restricted list Monday night, a move that came just before their road game against the Boston Red Sox and sent infielder Jose Fernandez up from Triple-A in a corresponding roster shuffle.
Marte was absent from Fenway Park for the game, according to the Arizona Republic, and the club’s decision followed that no-show. The Republic also reported that Marte is physically fine.
MLB teams can place a player on the restricted list for unexcused, personal, or non-baseball reasons. While there, a player does not get paid and does not collect MLB service time until he is back on the active roster.
The timing makes the move stand out even more: it comes almost exactly one year after Marte publicly apologized for being away from the team after the 2025 All-Star break. That absence came after his in-season home was burglarized, and later some teammates voiced frustration about his missed time and off-day requests during a playoff push.
Marte, 32, hasn’t been at his usual All-Star level in 2026, but he had still been giving Arizona a productive season.
A three-time All-Star, Marte is in the middle of a six-year, $105 million contract that runs through at least the 2030 season and includes an $11.5 million player option for 2031. His 34.9 career WAR with Arizona puts him third on the franchise’s all-time leaderboard.
Fernandez was available to slide into Torey Lovullo’s lineup because he was already in Boston as insurance in case third baseman Nolan Arenado needed to go on the injured list, according to MLB.com.
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