The Dodgers have plenty of their own questions heading into October, but if Arizona fades out of the playoff race, they’ll also get a little bit of comic relief at the Diamondbacks’ expense.
That relief would come from the Ketel Marte mess, a situation that has put Arizona in an ugly spot and made the club look like it has bent over backward for a star infielder acting like a “petulant child.” Marte went AWOL before Arizona’s game in Boston last month, and the source reporting says it was not the first time he had done something like that. When he came back on Monday, he met reporters and teammates, then brushed off the idea that he owed fans a message after they greeted him with boos.
After the game, Marte added another layer to the scene with his wardrobe choice.
“Ketel Marte’s hat choice after the game is something.
He said he didn’t expect the boos from the home crowd, and also that he didn’t understand the question before the game about delivering a message to fans. pic.twitter.com/p2kb5PjtSk
- Nick King (@NickKingSports) September 1, 2026”
Arizona is in a tight race, sitting a half-game out of the final National League wild card spot entering Tuesday’s action. That reality, according to the source, is why the Diamondbacks have gone with a soft landing for Marte. They need him on the field over the final month if they want any shot at reaching the postseason.
The problem is that the handling of the situation has already made the organization look weak, and the source argues that the real softness is in the way Marte and the Diamondbacks come across now. If Arizona misses the playoffs, the Dodgers would get the last laugh by watching a rival get exposed by one of its own.
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