Marte went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run during Sunday's 11-2 win over the Padres.
Marte tagged Martin Perez for a two-run home run in the fourth inning, marking the second baseman's 36th long ball of the campaign. In September, Marte has gone 15-for-63 (.238) with five home runs, 12 RBI and 11 runs scored.
Marte started at second base and went 1-for-3 with a walk and a double in Tuesday's 11-0 loss to the Giants.
Marte was held out of Monday's starting lineup, as manager Torey Lovullo indicated the second baseman had been grinding and was in the "red zone." With four games left in the regular season and a playoff spot to be won, Marte is expected to be in the starting lineup every day.
Diamondbacks' Ketel Marte: Manager explains day off
Rotowire
Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said Monday the decision to hold Marte out of that day's starting lineup was "preventative" and described the second baseman as being in the "red zone," Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports reports. "The left leg, it probably wasn't 100% when he came back, if you guys studied the swings enough, you could recognize he was protecting that space," the manager said.
Lovullo added that Marte was available off the bench, and the infielder entered as a pinch hitter in the eighth inning and finished the game at second base. The Diamondbacks lost to the Giants and are now one-and-a-half games ahead of Atlanta for the final wild card spot with five games left (six for Atlanta). Reading between the lines of Lovullo's comments, Monday's lighter-than-normal effort sets up Marte to finish out the season as an everyday lineup presence.
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Diamondbacks' Ketel Marte: Getting Monday off
Rotowire
Marte is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Giants.
Marte will hit the bench for the third time since he was reinstated from the 10-day injured list Sept. 6 after missing three weeks with an ankle sprain. Kevin Newman will step in at second base in place of Marte, who is slashing .271/.407/.625 with five home runs, one stolen base, 12 RBI and nine runs across 14 games in September.
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Diamondbacks' Ketel Marte: Reaches base five times in win
Rotowire
Marte went 2-for-2 with three walks, a home run, a stolen base, two total runs and two total RBI in a 5-0 victory against the Brewers on Saturday.
Marte reached base in each of his first four plate appearances, and then capped his performance with a two-run blast in the ninth inning. It was the second straight game with a home run for the second baseman, and he's reached base safely in nine of his last 10 plate appearances. With two RBI Saturday, Marte tied his career-best mark of 92 in a season, and he's already established a new high with 34 home runs on the campaign.
