Even Ketel Marte’s fashion appears to be adding to the drama.
The embattled Arizona Diamondbacks star made his return to action on Monday, weeks after he sparked controversy by failing to show up for a game at Fenway Park in Boston, Mass., against the Boston Red Sox.
Marte was greeted by loud boos when he stepped up to the plate for the first time in Monday’s series opener versus the visiting Philadelphia Phillies at Chase Field in Phoenix, Ariz. Before that, he seemingly refused to address Diamondbacks fans during a pregame press conference.
Following Arizona’s 2-1 loss to the Phillies, Marte fielded more questions from the media while wearing a hat with an intriguing message that may have been a subtle way for him to deal with his current situation.
“MAY THE BRIDGES I BURN LIGHT THE WAY,” the message on his lime green hat read, as seen in this photo shared by Nick King of KTVK 3TV.
Ketel Marte’s hat choice after the game is something.
— Nick King (@NickKingSports) September 1, 2026
He said he didn’t expect the boos from the home crowd, and also that he didn’t understand the question before the game about delivering a message to fans. pic.twitter.com/p2kb5PjtSk
Marte can only hope that fans will learn to appreciate him again, but that could take some time, as this wasn’t the first time he went AWOL on his team. In 2025, he missed three games after traveling back home to the Dominican Republic after that season’s All-Star break.
The three-time All-Star Marte went 1-for-3 with a walk in the loss to Philadelphia.
