Ketel Marte's unexplained absence gets stranger as Diamondbacks fight for NL wild card spot

The San Francisco Giants announced that they are suspending Harrison Bader's salary after he reportedly crashed a scooter into a fire truck. (This video contains AI-assisted content)

One of the weirdest stories of the 2026 Major League Baseball season just keeps getting weirder.

The Arizona Diamondbacks had a tough start to the year, but have battled back to put themselves squarely in postseason contention. Led by Corbin Carroll, Geraldo Perdomo, Gabriel Moreno and a resurgent Nolan Arenado, the Diamondbacks as of Wednesday afternoon found themselves just 1.5 games out of the third wild card spot in the National League.

Importantly, they finish out the season with three games against the team they're chasing, the San Diego Padres. Perhaps even more importantly? They might have to chase those Padres down without one of their best players, infielder Ketel Marte.

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Marte's had a down season, by his very high standards, but still leads the team in home runs with 21, strikes out just 15% of the time, and typically contributes solid to above-average defense. There's just one problem: he didn't show up to the game a few days ago, and nobody seems to know exactly why.

Ketel Marte of the Arizona Diamondbacks looks on before the game against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park in Seattle, Washington, on May 30, 2026. (Maddy Grassy/Getty Images)

Monday afternoon, the Diamondbacks were set to start a series against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Each game vitally important, a series against a tough opponent on the road, and Marte just... didn't show up. With no explanation.

Arizona waited until 20 minutes before game time to put Marte