D-backs’ Ketel Marte out of lineup vs. Yankees for 2nd straight game with illness

Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte was a late scratch for Sunday’s game at the New York Yankees with an illness, the team announced, and he was out of the batting order again on Monday at Yankee Stadium.

Marte told MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert in the clubhouse that he expects to play Tuesday after dealing with a stomach bug.

The switch-hitter entered Monday’s game in the eighth inning as a pinch hitter and walked to load the bases in a 6-4 loss.

Marte was initially the lead-off hitter Sunday against lefty Carlos Rodon, and catcher Gabriel Moreno slotted in there for the first time as a major leaguer.

With Yankees right-hander Clarke Schmidt on the mound Monday, Corbin Carroll jumped back up to first with Moreno taking Marte’s usual spot in the No. 2 hole. Geraldo Perdomo filled in at second base with Jordan Lawlar starting at shortstop.

Marte is Arizona’s second most valuable position player player this season by both FanGraphs and Baseball Reference WAR (4.45 average), only trailing Carroll. And he’s been on a heater, reaching base safely in 17 of his last 18 games with a .991 OPS in that span.

The D-backs lose his production, at least as a starter, for two of their final eight games of the regular season while clinging onto the second National League Wild Card spot by 0.5 games over the Chicago Cubs.

Arizona still jumped on the Yankees early in both games, though, scoring two runs in each first inning.

Another early lead! pic.twitter.com/pTujhVww9u

— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) September 25, 2023

The D-backs won Sunday’s game 7-1.

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