Ketel Marte was back in the Diamondbacks’ lineup Monday night, but Arizona eased him in the smart way: the star second baseman returned as the designated hitter and batted fourth against the Phillies instead of jumping right back into the field.
That setup let the Diamondbacks keep Ildemaro Vargas at second base while Marte’s bat returned without the added defensive load. Marte had finished the minimum stay on the 10-day injured list after dealing with left knee inflammation.
Before first pitch, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported the lineup tweak on X, formerly Twitter, writing:
“Ketel Marte is batting cleanup tonight as the. DBacks DH”
Arizona had reinstated Marte from the restricted list and placed him on the injured list Aug. 20 after an MRI showed inflammation. He also received an injection in the knee before getting back into baseball activities.
Marte came into Monday hitting .249 with a .314 on-base percentage and a .446 slugging percentage. He had 21 home runs and 67 RBIs in 118 games.
His return put a two-time Silver Slugger back in the middle of the order as Arizona chased a playoff spot. The Diamondbacks entered Monday at 73-65 and held the National League’s third Wild Card position.
Philadelphia came in at 77-60, tied with the Chicago Cubs for the top spot in the NL Wild Card standings. The San Diego Padres were just one-half game behind Arizona for the final postseason berth.
The matchup also came with a big pitching duel lined up, as Brandon Pfaadt was scheduled to start for Arizona against Aaron Nola at Chase Field. With both teams in the Wild Card race, the three-game series immediately carried weight.
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