Diamondbacks teammates more than ready to move on from Ketel Marte storyline

PHOENIX — The phrase “mixed” feelings or opinions has come up multiple times from Arizona Diamondbacks players when asked about Ketel Marte’s return and apology to the team. But what is clear is that the group has been ready to move forward from the Marte questions and focus on the playoff push.

Marte was back at Chase Field on Monday for the first time since his no-show in Boston on Aug. 17, as he faced reporter questions and boos from the crowd at Chase Field.

Between those events, he gave a “fast and simple” address to the team to get back on the same page.

No matter how it landed — which he seemed to think went well — the focus from players in the room remains on a singular goal, as was proven when the club went on a 7-4 stretch after its first two games without Marte.

Despite that mini run of success, the feeling from teammates remains that Marte gives them a better chance to win, and therefore having him back is a positive for the end goal of preventing Arizona’s playoff drought from reaching three years.

“I mean, he addressed us face-to-face, and we all kind of moved on. He’s in the game with us now,” outfielder Jordan Lawlar said on Tuesday. “Ketel’s part of us, and I’m a proponent of we need him to win. He’s a threat in the lineup, and I want him out there with us. I know there’s mixed feelings, but again, I want him with us.”

“Just move forward,” third baseman Nolan Arenado said. “I mean, he’s here. He’s ready to help us win ballgames, and that’s it. To be quite honest, I’m kind of tired of talking about it. … We want the best for him. We want the best for this group, and he makes our group better.”

With so much national attention on the storyline and Marte staying away until Monday, his manager and teammates have had to face questions about him for two weeks in the middle of a pennant chase. At first, there was very little communication from his part to provide his teammates much understanding.

Veteran catcher James McCann explained that most players had already gotten past any sense of distraction well before he re-entered the picture on Monday.

“I think the team moved on several days ago,” McCann told Arizona Sports on Tuesday. “Obviously, it was a hot topic when we were in Boston, and I think kind of when we got back from that road trip, we turned the page as a group. Obviously, him coming back yesterday kind of reopens that. But ultimately, I think most of the group has pretty much moved on from it.

“As cliche as it sounds at this point, it is what it is. There’s nothing we can really do other than continue to play baseball.”

The Diamondbacks entered Tuesday a half-game back of the final National League Wild Card spot, a dead sprint to the finish line against the San Diego Padres in the standings.

What Marte’s future in Arizona looks like and if he can ever regain trust that this will not happen again are worthwhile long-term questions. Manager Torey Lovullo was quite blunt on Monday when describing what it has been like managing a player who does not respond to tough love over the years.

Whether the D-backs can operate beyond this season with Lovullo and Marte together will continue to be a narrative going into the offseason, especially with Lovullo’s contract expiring and Marte’s no-trade clause.

But the players have 23 more guaranteed games to make something special out of this season, and how he helps that bottom line is the priority. The Diamondbacks have too many other challenges from pitching injuries to hitting inconsistencies to let this story continue to be a distraction like it was in Boston.

“Obviously there’s mixed feelings in the room, but for me personally, I’m glad to have him back,” pitcher Brandon Pfaadt said on Monday. “We can move on from it and get the ball rolling. Hopefully he can get hot for us and lead us to the playoffs.”

“I want to move past this Ketel stuff as quickly as possible,” Lovullo said on Tuesday.

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