D-backs manager Lovullo: Marte in Phoenix for knee testing
Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said he has been told that Ketel Marte traveled back to Phoenix for tests on his left knee and was a bit surprised at the lack of communication with the All-Star second baseman.
Asked if he thought Marte would play for Arizona again this year, Lovullo said he hoped so. A three-time All-Star, Marte is hitting .249 with 21 home runs and 67 RBIs over 118 games this season.
“We need him,” Lovullo said before Tuesday’s game against the Red Sox. “He’s one of the best players in the National League as far as I’m concerned.”
Arizona placed the 32-year-old Marte on the restricted list Monday, the second time in as many seasons the D-backs have done so.
Marte failed to show up for Arizona’s 11-1 loss at Boston on Monday night in what Lovullo said was a crazy day as Marte deals with a personal issue. Lovullo said he spoke to Marte on Monday trying to find out what was going on without getting any answers.
The second baseman traveled with the team to Boston and Lovullo wasn’t certain after Monday night’s loss if Marte was still there.
This wasn’t the first time Marte had a strange disappearance.
Last season, he went on the restricted list when his home in Arizona was broken into during the All-Star break. He missed three games after flying back to his native Dominican Republic and later apologized for his absence.
Yankees
New York Yankees outfielder Cody Bellinger could begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Scranton on Thursday. Meanwhile, Yankees manager Aaron Boone hopes left-handed starter Max Fried’s second stint on the injured list will be brief. He said Tuesday he feels close to 100 percent and he believes he’ll play in multiple rehab games. Fried is dealing with symptoms stemming from the same left elbow bone bruise that forced him to miss more than two months earlier this season. Boone says Fried shouldn’t need as much time to recover this time.
Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers have placed scuffling closer Edwin Diaz on the injured list with inflammation in the right side of his neck while four-time MVP Shohei Ohtani progresses toward a return to the mound. Diaz is 2-2 with an 11.85 ERA and seven saves in 11 opportunities in 16 games in his first season with the Dodgers. He returned to Los Angeles on Tuesday and will have imaging on his neck. Diaz was on the IL from April 20-July 29 with an elbow injury that required a procedure to remove loose bodies. Meanwhile, Ohtani threw another bullpen session on Tuesday. He hasn’t pitched since July 3.
Angels
Trey Mancini, the AL Comeback Player of the Year in 2021 for his return from colon cancer who then helped Houston win the 2022 World Series, announced his retirement Tuesday after his latest comeback lasted five games with the Los Angeles Angels. Mancini agreed to a minor league contract with the Angels in February and played in five games in June with his final major league appearance June 14. Mancini said he was blessed to have a home with the Orioles’ organization for 10 years, win a World Series in Houston, play for the Cubs and make it back to MLB with the Angels.
Rangers
Texas Rangers manager Skip Schumaker says Jacob deGrom checked out OK after a bullpen session and could start again a week after lasting just two innings against the Los Angeles Angels due to right triceps fatigue. Schumaker says deGrom could start the series finale Thursday against Washington. The 38-year-old right-hander had already been dealing with a left hip and glute injury since the All-Star break. After escaping a first-inning jam against the Angels, deGrom gave up two runs and five hits during a 32-pitch second in the Rangers’ 7-0 loss last Thursday.
Orioles
Baltimore Orioles reliever Félix Bautista and utility player Blaze Alexander could begin rehab assignments by the end of the week, according to the club’s weekly injury report. Bautista was an All-Star in 2023, when he had 33 saves and a 1.48 ERA. That September, he suffered an elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery. He missed all of 2024, and last year he had another surgery, this time to repair a torn labrum and rotator cuff. Alexander has been out since July 13 with a broken left hand. The 27-year-old is batting .312 in 82 games.