D-backs’ Ketel Marte removed from game as precaution with hamstring tightness

Arizona Diamondbacks All-Star second baseman Ketel Marte was removed from Wednesday’s 7-4 win over the Cincinnati Reds at Chase Field.

After Marte came around to score in the bottom of the eighth inning, he told Torey Lovullo that he was feeling tightness in his hamstring.

As a precaution, the D-backs manager elected to not take any chances and replaced him at second base with Jake Hager for the final three outs of the ballgame.

“Ketel felt something I think in his right hamstring, so just for precautionary reasons I decided to get him off the field,” Lovullo told reporters postgame. “That was my decision.

“He walked behind me and said, ‘I felt a little tightness.’ The trainer came over and confirmed it and he could have played but I decided to take him off the field.

Lovullo added that the second baseman will “not be getting any imaging at this point.”

Marte was 1-for-3 with a walk and a run scored prior to exiting Wednesday afternoon’s game.

Losing the Dominican would be a big loss for the Diamondbacks, as nobody on the team has a better batting average (.269) or OPS (.776) with a minimum of 200 at-bats.

In fact, Marte has been on an absolute tear after his sluggish start to the 2022 season.

Since April 29, the switch-hitter is slashing .336/.405/.555 on 18 doubles, one triple and four home runs.

Marte also drove in 17 runs, walked 16 times and stole two bases across the 40-game span (37 starts).

The D-backs have an off-day Thursday before hosting the Minnesota Twins in the first of a three-game series on Friday at 6:40 p.m. on 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station.

Arizona LHP Madison Bumgarner (2-6, 3.50 ERA) is scheduled to start against Minnesota Devin Smeltzer (3-0, 2.38 ERA).

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