Diamondbacks’ Ketel Marte considered day-to-day with ankle sprain

Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte is considered day-to-day with a minor left ankle sprain following an MRI conducted on Tuesday. He will not go on the injured list, manager Torey Lovullo said. 

“Ketel has a low-grade ankle sprain, and he’s gonna be day-to-day,” Lovullo said following Tuesday’s 4-3 win over the Colorado Rockies.

“What does that mean? We’re going to continue to monitor him every night, every morning when he comes in and just see where he’s at, hoping that he’ll be able to find his way into the lineup, whether it’s emergency only, whether it’s off the bench or whether it’s a start, but the fact that it’s day-to-day is a really good thing. He’s not going on the IL, which is even better.”

D-backs manager Torey Lovullo says Ketel Marte has a low-grade ankle sprain and will not go on the IL. pic.twitter.com/ZcbmZXlCnj

— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) August 14, 2024

Marte exited Monday’s game against the Colorado Rockies in the first inning after he re-aggravated his ankle injury that originated from an awkward dive at second base by Philadelphia Phillies catcher Garrett Stubbs on Saturday.

Marte missed Sunday’s game with a left ankle contusion and re-entered the lineup on Monday. He re-injured it on a swing in his first at-bat.

Kevin Newman would be the leading candidate to replace Marte for the time being. Newman is hitting .279 and has filled in nicely for the injured Marte, recording three hits on Sunday, another two hits on Monday and a single on Tuesday.

The team also has infielder Blaze Alexander on the 40-man roster as depth. Alexander was optioned to Triple-A Reno on July 2 and is slashing .259/.328/.361 with three home runs and 21 RBIs in his rookie campaign.

Over his last 30 games, Marte is slashing .330/.408/.718 with 13 home runs and 30 RBIs. His offensive explosion has propelled him into MVP talks alongside Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani.

Marte is hitting .298 with 30 home runs and 81 RBIs on the year.

Following their series against the Rockies, the D-backs head to Florida to face the Tampa Bay Rays and Miami Marlins, two struggling teams as of late.