The Arizona Diamondbacks have placed star second baseman Ketel Marte on the 10-day injured list with a sprained left ankle, the team announced Monday. Outfielder/first baseman Pavin Smith has been recalled from Triple-A in a corresponding move.
Marte initially suffered an injury to the ankle against the Philadelphia Phillies on Aug. 10 when Garrett Stubbs rolled into him during a tag play at second base. In the coming days, Marte would tweak the ankle on two occasions, and that led to the roster decision on Monday.
In this, his age-30 season, the underrated Marte has been one of the best players in all of baseball. Across 116 games, he’s batted .298/.370/.560 (157 OPS+) with 30 home runs. That’s in addition to standout defense at second base. Add it all up, and Marte is in the running for National League MVP honors. As such, this is a significant loss for the reigning NL champions.
Speaking of which, the Diamondbacks right now at 69-56 are in second wild-card position in the NL and in playoff position by 4 1/2 games. They trail the San Diego Padres, owners of the top NL wild-card slot, by just one game. As well, an NL West title also isn’t out of the question, as the third-place D-backs lag the first-place Dodgers by a workable four games. However, the loss of Marte, even if it’s for the minimum 10 days, diminishes their hopes on all fronts.
During Marte’s absence, Kevin Newman figures to be Arizona’s primary second baseman.
