D-backs notes: Ketel Marte back to rehab work after casino night ‘wasn’t very good’ for optics

PHOENIX — Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte was back at Salt River Fields on Saturday morning to take care of his rehab work after a well-documented night at the casino during his team’s game on Friday.

Manager Torey Lovullo admitted that the optics of Marte’s decision were not good, but it was important that Marte stuck to his schedule to get back into the lab the next morning.

Marte still has not addressed the team about his absence that started in Boston on Monday, and Lovullo maintained that there is a specific plan in place for that. Lovullo did not disclose details about what that address will look like.

“It’s not a choice I would make,” Lovullo said of the casino excursion during Arizona’s 9-0 win over the Cincinnati Reds. “It was not, I’m sure, a choice a lot of people in this room wouldn’t make. But Ketel’s a grown man, and he can make his own decisions. And he did not break any rules. He was fully able to go there and do what he wanted to do.”

Lovullo said Marte has not been able to hit as he rests his knee, but the plan is for him to ramp that up next week. In the meantime, Marte has been able to throw and work out his upper body.

The D-backs put Marte on the 10-day injured list with left knee inflammation, and frustration over the handling of his knee is part of the story to Marte’s no-show on Monday. There are many details still unknown, but Lovullo revealed that Marte’s knee had been bothering him for a while before this blew over.

Lovullo said he was not aware that Marte was dealing with a sore knee until last weekend’s series against the Atlanta Braves.

 

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Lourdes Gurriel Jr. is close to returning to Diamondbacks

Outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. started his third rehab game for Triple-A Reno on Friday and wanted to be back in left field on Saturday as he nears a return from an adductor strain.

Lovullo said he’s had conversations with Gurriel to make sure he is in a good spot with his at-bats, his lower-body strength and making sure he is as ready to go as he can be. Gurriel is having an injury-marred and largely ineffective season.

What his role will be when he returns is something Lovullo said will be figured out in time.

The Diamondbacks have an outfield surplus, evidenced by Jordan Lawlar not starting on Saturday after a three-hit performance on Friday.

“I want guys to play, (Max) Kepler’s not playing today, and he’s a really good player,” Lovullo said. “We’re still in this DH phase with (Nolan) Arenado, so I had some 50-50 balls. … We’ve got a little over a month of baseball games left, so I don’t want anybody to feel like they’re being left out.

“I’ll have those conversations, but I want everybody to go out there and play as hard as they can and know what their role is. Lawlar had a great game yesterday, but I wanted to get Nootbaar in there. I feel like (Ryan Waldschmidt) has been having a very consistent year since he’s come back, so that’s just where it landed today.”

Eduardo Rodriguez vs. Eugenio Suarez

In the second inning of Friday’s game, Reds hitter Eugenio Suarez squared around for a bunt against Eduardo Rodriguez and pulled it back. Rodriguez threw his hands up, a “What are you doing?” gesture. Suarez smiled back at his friend.

Rodriguez had not faced Suarez for a while. The two were teammates on the Diamondbacks over the previous couple seasons and won a championship together for Team Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic.

“I knew Geno even before we got to the United States,” Rodriguez said. “We played each other. … We’ve been through a lot, like winter ball, WBC, winning this year. So it’s always fun with him. … I don’t think he has a homer off me. That day, I’m going to be mad, so I don’t want that to happen. But it’s always fun to have him.”

Suarez is 2-for-11 in his career against Rodriguez, albeit with four walks (two on Friday).

Eugenio Suarez got a nice ovation from the Arizona crowd in his first at-bat.

He immediately squared to bunt. 😂 pic.twitter.com/LN4fjhiX5D

— Reds Daily (@RedsDaily4) August 22, 2026

The new no-fly zone?

On Friday, the Diamondbacks had perhaps their most athletic outfield combination on the team with Corbin Carroll, Lawlar and Waldschmidt from right to left.

Lawlar made a diving catch, Carroll controlled traffic to making a running grab between a couple infielders and Waldschmidt seems to bang into the wall to make catches regularly at this point. For a while, the Diamondbacks called their outfield with Carroll, Alek Thomas and Jake McCarthy the “No Fly Zone.” The speed presently brings back similar potential.

“It’s exciting,” Lawlar said on Friday. “We’re all athletes out there, and we know if the ball goes up, we’re going to go run as hard as we can to catch it. And most of the times we are going to catch it. So we just got a good unit out there.”

Carroll is a legitimate Gold Glove threat this season, leading NL right fielders with 11 defensive runs saved and 10 outs above average. Waldschmidt is racking up the DRS with four as he continues to get more comfortable at Chase Field.

Alek Thomas, Dodgers center fielder

Speaking of Thomas, the Los Angeles Dodgers recalled the center fielder on Saturday to play his first major league game since the D-backs traded him back in May.

Thomas received the start in center field for Los Angeles against the Pittsburgh Pirates. He played for Arizona from 2022 until earlier this season.

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