The Arizona Diamondbacks placed All-Star second baseman Ketel Marte on the restricted list prior to Friday’s home game against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said Marte was dealing “with a personal issue” after multiple reports revealed that Marte’s Scottsdale, Ariz., home was burglarized this week while he was in Atlanta for the All-Star Game.
“He asked for some time away just to get grounded and get himself back to where he can come back here and play and be a force for us,” Lovullo said. “It’s kind of a day-to-day situation. I’ve had limited contact with him. … We all know what he is dealing with. It’s been unfortunate.”
According to reports, numerous personal items and jewelry were among items stolen from Marte’s residence.
“As I said yesterday, there are some savages out there that don’t respect people’s privacy,” Lovullo said. “He retreats a little bit when he gets upset and I respect that space and I’m going to give him that space. He just needs a couple of personal days right now.”
Marte had an RBI double for the National League, while playing in his third All-Star Game.
Marte, 31, is batting .290 with 19 homers and 40 RBIs in 68 games this season. He placed third in NL MVP voting last season and fourth in 2019.
Arizona also promoted catcher Adrian Del Castillo and right-hander Trevor Richards from Triple-A Reno and signed infielder Sergio Alcantara as a free agent. The Diamondbacks optioned infielder Tristin English to Reno and transferred catcher Gabriel Moreno (fractured right index finger) to the 60-day injured list.
Del Castillo, 25, has been sidelined with shoulder and back issues this season and is batting .299 with seven homers and 27 RBIs in 28 games at two levels. He played in 25 games for Arizona last season and batted .313 with four homers and 19 RBIs.
Del Castillo was in the lineup for Friday’s home game against the St. Louis Cardinals, batting sixth as the designated hitter.
Richards, 32, was signed to a minor league contract on June 19 not long after he parted ways from the Kansas City Royals. He had a 6.57 ERA in nine relief appearances for Reno. Overall, Richards has pitched for five major league teams and is 24-28 with a 4.54 ERA in 293 appearances (61 starts).
Alcantara, 29, batted .206 with 14 RBIs in 68 games for Triple-A Sacramento and went hitless in four at-bats with San Francisco this season before the Giants outrighted him to Sacramento on July 8. He elected free agency two days later. He has a .207 average with 12 homers and 47 RBIs in 193 games with five major league teams.
English, 28, went 0-for-4 with an RBI in his major league debut for Arizona on July 9. That was his lone appearance.
Moreno, 25, last played for the Diamondbacks on June 14. He is batting .270 with five homers and 20 RBIs in 53 games.
–Field Level Media
