The bottom of the second inning had just begun for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Right-hander Brandon Pfaadt picked up a ground out to first base of Atlanta Braves infielder Ozzie Albies.
But the ball, which was expected to be fielded by Ildemaro Vargas at first, was snagged by Tim Tawa, instead. Tawa had taken over at first base, and Vargas had moved to second. Suddenly, Ketel Marte, who had started the game at second base, as usual, was out of the game.
With Vargas moving over to second base, Tawa came in to first from center field. Jorge Barrosa was slotted into center, next to Ryan Waldschmidt in left.
As of this writing, it is unclear as to why Marte left the game at such an early point. He had grounded out sharply in his first at-bat in the first inning, then bobbled a ground ball from catcher Drake Baldwin at second that went down as a base hit in the box score. That might have been the moment.
According to the Diamondbacks, Marte was removed with what is being called left knee soreness, for the time being. Manager Torey Lovullo gave an update on Marte's status, speaking to D-backs.TV's Jody Jackson after a 2-0 series-opening win .
Aug 6, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte (4) hits an RBI single against the San Diego Padres during the third inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
There was not much of a concrete answer from Lovullo, though he was clear that Marte would be day-to-day moving forward. There is no timeline, but it also does not sound like Marte suffered a severe injury.
"It's been something that's been bothering him for a couple of days since the Padres series. He's been trying to gut it out," Lovullo said.
"He moved to his left and it just got to be a little bit too much for him. So he'll be day-to-day. We'll evaluate him tomorrow and see when he can play as soon as possible."
Aug 11, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks infielder Ketel Marte (4) throws across the infield in the ninth inning of a game against the Colorado Rockies at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Allan Henry-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Marte has been in the midst of an up-and-down season, hitting to a mere .763 OPS .
That's still been a productive number, but not quite to the same star level Marte has frequently produced. The Diamondbacks will likely need more out of Marte's bat going forward in the playoff race, so long as he is healthy enough to do so.
Soft tissue injuries have been an issue for Marte in the past, though it's often been his back that's tightened up on him. There was no play on which Marte obviously appeared to tweak his knee.
Regardless of how much Marte has or hasn't hit this year, Arizona is going to need him down the stretch. Losing their All-Star second baseman would not help in their pursuit of a postseason berth, to say the least.
The Diamondbacks area lready awaiting the returns of a handful of injured players.
Jordan Lawlar , Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Tommy Troy are all working their way back from respective injuries, and that's not including some of the pitching blows, such as Zac Gallen, Corbin Burnes, Ryne Nelson and Justin Martinez. Adding Marte to this list would not be a positive sign.
Diamondbacks On SI will continue to report the latest on Marte's condition.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/diamondbacks/onsi as Ketel Marte Exits Diamondbacks-Braves Game with Injury .
