Ketel Marte Got BOOED By His Own Fans

getting booed by Diamondbacks fans on Monday and wondered how one of Arizona's biggest stars got to this point, let me break it down for you. It started August 14th when Marte left the game with knee soreness, sat out the next day, returned August 16th, and then everything blew up. On August 17th, the D-backs were in Boston. Marte was actually penciled in as the DH that day, but he simply never showed up to Fenway Park. The team actually waited until 20 minutes before first pitch to change the lineup because they were hoping he would show up. He never did. Arizona placed Marte on the restricted list, and even manager Tory Lovello didn't seem to have any idea what was going on with him. Marte eventually returned to Arizona, got an MRI on his knee that showed inflammation, and then he, his agent, Lovello, and the Diamondbacks' GM all had a several-hour-long meeting. As a result, the D-backs took him off the restricted list and put him on the injured list instead. And then came the worst possible optics. The very next night, while the Diamondbacks were playing the Reds, Marte was photographed at a casino. Now, important distinction, Marte was on the IL, he had already completed his required rehab work, so he wasn't breaking any rules by being there. But after he had just no-showed a game without communicating with his team? Even Lovello admitted the optics weren't good, and reportedly some of his teammates were pretty upset about it. There's also some important context here. The Athletic reported that Marte was dealing with the impending loss of a close family member, so clearly there was more going on than just the knee. That brings us to Monday. Marte returned to the Diamondbacks, admitted that not showing up was his decision. He called it a moment of frustration, said he owed his teammates an apology. But then Lovello said, this is not an isolated incident, this is the fourth straight year that Marte has missed a game without permission. Arizona fans let him hear about it. Marte was booed in the first game back, he went 1-for-3 with a walk, and the D-backs lost 2-1 to the Phillies. So where does it stand today? Marte is back, the Diamondbacks publicly want to move forward, and they actually kind of need his bat if they're going to keep fighting for a wildcard spot. The biggest question here isn't actually whether Marte can still play, it's whether his relationship with his teammates and the organization can actually be repaired once the season's over.