D-backs’ Ketel Marte exits game vs. Giants with groin cramp

The Arizona Diamondbacks have a very legitimate All-Star candidate in Ketel Marte, but one of their top offensive performers may be injured.

Marte singled home Jarrod Dyson in the bottom of the third inning on Friday and appeared to be hopping and favoring one leg as he ran down the line.

Manager Torey Lovullo put infielder Ildemaro Vargas in as a pinch runner for Marte, ending the latter’s day. The team said Marte was removed with a left groin cramp, and Lovullo said he believed it would merely be a day-to-day situation.

“I have been looking to give him a day off, so tomorrow will probably be that day just to make sure we can work him through that and get him back on his feet,” Lovullo said. “He’s been playing a lot of baseball. He’s one of the best players in the National League and I’ve found it hard to give him time off, especially what we’re grinding through right now.

“He felt it coming out of the box. It was nothing that grabbed him and put him down on the ground. He felt like it was just some tightening. We ask our guys to speak up and he did a good job of doing that.”

Any significant time missed for Marte would be a major loss for the D-backs, who already are coming off of being swept by the division-rival Rockies and entered Friday at an even 38-38, 13 games out of first place in the NL West and 2.5 games back of a Wild Card spot.

Uh oh. Ketel Marte comes up limping after an RBI single.

He has come out of the game and is replaced by Ildemaro Vargas. pic.twitter.com/DETLShpbQW

— FOX Sports Arizona (@FOXSPORTSAZ) June 22, 2019

Coming into the game, Marte was hitting .205 with a whopping 20 home runs, 17 doubles, three triples, 50 RBI and a .932 OPS.

Marte’s home runs, RBI, slugging percentage, triples and hits all rank 12th or better in the National League.

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