Corbin Carroll says players were thinking about Ketel Marte’s well-being when asked about possible distraction

Arizona Diamondbacks players were left wondering where second baseman Ketel Marte was and whether he was doing OK as first pitch from Fenway Park neared on Monday evening.

Outfielder Corbin Carroll — the 1A to Marte’s 1B or vice versa as faces of the franchise — reached out to Marte during the day, just sending an inside joke to hear back. Carroll said they exchanged a few messages but not about what was really going on with Marte, who did not communicate to the club that he was not coming to the ballpark.

Arizona placed Marte on the restricted list minutes before a game that ended in an 11-1 rout by the Boston Red Sox.

The obvious question: Was this ordeal a distraction for the clubhouse heading into an important game during a pennant chase?

“I think in full transparency, I think some of the players were probably thinking about the guy just out of care for our teammate, care for our brother, knowing that a member of our family was hurting in some way,” Carroll told Arizona Sports’ Burns & Gambo on Tuesday.

“So I think that’s one piece of it. But at the same time, I feel like we’re all professionals. Not necessarily something exactly like this, but we’ve dealt with plenty of stuff over the course of our careers, and I think the coaches did a great job of making sure we were locked in as much as we could be. We were ready to go. But at the same time, there was some sloppy play, and at the end of the day, we got beat.”

Lovullo said after the game that there was a lot of curiosity in the clubhouse about Marte’s absence, the reasoning for which remained unclear as of Tuesday afternoon. Lovullo told reporters pregame on Tuesday he still had not heard from Marte, who traveled back to Arizona for an MRI of his knee — Nolan Arenado underwent an MRI for an intercostal issue in Boston and stayed with the team. The D-backs will be back in Arizona for a series starting on Friday, which will be telling for Marte’s outlook with his road trip apparently over.

Monday was not the first time Marte had been nowhere to be found during games, and this latest situation with a player who has been subject to scrutiny over his absences will test the Diamondbacks in several ways.

Marte is not having his best season, but he is Arizona’s hits, home runs and RBIs leader. How long can this contending team handle not having that production when there’s no telling when he will return?

And what will team morale look like when there remains concern over whatever Marte is dealing with? The baseball slate does not stop, and the D-backs are fighting for their postseason chances.

“I mean, just when things happen like that on shorter-term notice, it can make it a little bit more difficult to process, I guess,” Carroll said. “But I think appropriate conversations were had among teammates. Just now knowing that he’s OK, him and his family, there’s not something too crazy going on there, I think when something like this happens, that’s just where your mind goes and wants to make sure what’s going on there.

“There’s players who have had more extended history with Ketel and a relationship with him. I feel like those players have appropriately processed what’s going on there. I feel like the young players, it’s not so much an issue there. They’re here to fight and scrap. And then some other guys who just don’t have that same history. So I feel like we’re going to be in a good spot tonight.”

The Diamondbacks released their lineup pretty early on Tuesday after the last-second adjustments the day before. Ildemaro Vargas was back at second base in Marte’s place.

 

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