Ketel Marte enters new beginning after getting booed at Chase Field

PHOENIX — There was a public rebuke of Ketel Marte Monday at Chase Field. Fans booed loudly when he was introduced, and even louder when he grounded out in his first at-bat. The latter was telling.

Had Marte homered in his return to the Diamondbacks, you sense the crowd would’ve instantly turned in his favor. And it sounded like we’ve all struck a familiar bargain, valuing talent over character as long as we get the results.

Either way, it represented an end and a new beginning for one of the most polarizing, fascinating and infuriating athletes in Arizona history.

Marte’s return to the starting lineup was a seminal moment for the franchise. Through a translator, Marte staged an official press conference four hours before the game. He did this before speaking to his teammates, alleviating the crush of 28 media members who were milling about the clubhouse waiting for Marte to show up. That surely earned him some welcome-home points with the group.

Marte’s press conference was also slightly uncomfortable. He claimed a moment of frustration led to him going AWOL in Boston. A better explanation was warranted. He said he regrets not showing up to Fenway Park and flashed real empathy for manager Torey Lovullo, whose reputation has taken a recent beating in the national media.

Marte was at his strongest when speaking of his teammates. He said he looked forward to standing before them and apologizing like a man. But in sum, he wasn’t exactly full of contrition. And when asked if he had a message for the fans, Marte shook his head and said no.

It was not his best moment, although Lovullo saw it differently.

“I just want to tell you how proud I am of him,” Lovullo said. “You know, it’s not easy for him to come up here. You guys saw that.”

Around Major League Baseball, many are appalled at how far the Diamondbacks have bent to accommodate Marte. No player is that good, they say. Many were equally astonished that Marte was allowed to walk straight back into the starting lineup without any formal penalty, especially after Lovullo confirmed another incident dating back to the 2023 season.

As reported by John Gambadoro and Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports, Marte went AWOL on a rainy day in New York in Sept. 2023, as the team pursued a playoff berth. Which means he has gone missing three times in the past four seasons, which is not something a clubhouse can easily absorb and not something a manager should easily tolerate.

Lovullo also pushed back on that topic, saying he often comes down hard on Marte, only to find that he makes the problem worse. He painted a stark picture of how hard it is to manage a mercurial talent who brings the same challenges Dennis Rodman once brought Phil Jackson and the Bulls.

“I know you guys want me to sometimes bury him and make him feel even worse than he already does,” Lovullo said. “He doesn’t respond to that. But I feel like it’s my job to do that sometimes. When I do, he retreats. When something doesn’t go well, he retreats.”

During this ordeal, we have learned Marte is not a great communicator. But words don’t matter at this point. Marte broke his previous promise to Lovullo, that he would never go AWOL again. And Lovullo freely admitted on Monday that he has no guarantees it won’t happen again. It’s not great.

But in baseball, nothing redeems like star power, slug and exit velocity. Marte is very good at all of that. As of Monday, he has another clean slate and a chance to lead the Diamondbacks into the postseason. That would be a powerful rebuttal, and confirmation that some players are worth the hassle.

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