WASHINGTON -- Mere minutes into the D-backs¡¯ 6-4 series-opening win vs. the Nats at Nationals Park on Friday evening, Arizona was forced to improvise.
In the second at-bat of the game, Ketel Marte roped what looked like a surefire triple out to center field. But the D-backs¡¯ second baseman, just two days removed from signing a six-year extension with the club, pulled up lame as he rounded first base and settled for a double.
As Marte sidled into second base, he turned to the visitor¡¯s dugout, holding his left leg and appearing to be in notable pain with what was later determined to be a left hamstring strain. He was attended to by the training staff and immediately left the field, being replaced at second base and in the batting order by Garrett Hampson. On Saturday, Marte was placed on the 10-day injured list.
¡°We¡¯re going to continue to evaluate him, most likely headed for the IL,¡± manager Torey Lovullo said. ¡°We budget for these hard times. The timing of it isn't ideal, but we have players that are ready to step in and hold down the fort until he gets back. And that's basically what I'm going to say to him. But for right now, he'll get the evaluation tomorrow."
Marte has dealt with hamstring issues in the past. In 2021, he was on the IL with a right hamstring strain from April 8-May 18, then -- after returning -- went on the IL with a left hamstring strain on June 28.
An injury stint for Marte would be a big hit to the D-backs. Marte¡¯s outs above average (eight) rank in the 93rd percentile of MLBers, while his offense also ranks in the top 10% of big leaguers (97th percentile in xwOBA, 96th in expected batting average, expected slugging and hard-hit rate, and 98th in average exit velocity). And that¡¯s not to mention the type of player he is in the clubhouse. Of course, he¡¯ll still be around -- the plan is for Marte to return to Arizona with the club after the series finale on Sunday -- but it still hurts when a star player gets knocked out of play.
¡°He¡¯s one of the best players we have, and we¡¯re going to miss him,¡± Geraldo Perdomo said. ¡°... He¡¯s like my brother. I know he [overcame] that injury before and we were just hoping it was something like, not serious. ¡ But at the same time, we have really good players. We can fight with the players we have.¡±
Hampson is a solid option to step up in Marte¡¯s absence. He stepped up in a big way on Friday, going 1-for-3 with a walk and a pair of runs scored and played solid defense. There are also options down at Triple-A Reno. There¡¯s Ildemaro Vargas, who signed a Minor League deal before camp and had a good showing, though he isn¡¯t on the already-full 40-man roster.
Then there¡¯s Tim Tawa and Grae Kessinger, both of whom are already on the 40-man roster. Tawa has yet to make his MLB debut, but he¡¯s played most of his Minors career at second while Kessinger is more of a shortstop. There¡¯s also Blaze Alexander, but he¡¯s on the 10-day IL (right oblique strain) and, like Kessinger, is listed as a shortstop. Top prospect Jordan Lawlar, also a shortstop, could be an option as well.
The bigger question, outside of defense, will be how the D-backs can make up for missing Marte¡¯s bat, particularly as their pitching staff settles into the season.
On Friday night, they showed that it¡¯s more than possible, rallying behind their injured teammate. Hampson stepped up, as did shortstop Perdomo (3-for-4 with two runs scored and a stolen base). Corbin Carroll hit a solo homer with two outs in the third, then followed it up with a two-run blast in the fifth inning for his fifth career multihomer game. In the seventh, Randal Grichuk launched a pinch-hit two-run double to the wall in right field.
¡°This is a very deep team,¡± Carroll said. ¡°That's one of our biggest strengths, is just in the ¡®next man up¡¯ mentality. Like you said, he's not a player you can replace, but we've got good players behind him.¡±
The D-backs can make do without Marte, at least for now, as they showed on Friday. Even so, they want their No. 2 bat back in the lineup and his glove on the field as soon as possible.
¡°It would be easy for this team to shut down,¡± Lovullo said, "[but] they don't have that gene in them. It's not in their DNA. They play hard, they fight hard and they're very determined. And I was really proud of the effort today.¡±