Torey Lovullo has done away with any canned responses amid the ongoing Ketel Marte drama.
The Diamondbacks manager spoke candidly on Friday about Marte’s unexcused absence earlier this week, which resulted in the team placing him on the restricted list minutes before Monday’s game against the Boston Red Sox.
The All-Star second baseman was later placed on the 10-day IL due to a knee injury. But the sudden disappearance went beyond just a simple injury designation. Marte deserted his team in the middle of a playoff race — a move that left Lovullo emotional following Monday’s 11-1 loss.
Lovullo shared on Friday that he had felt “betrayed” and “extremely frustrated” by Marte’s unexplained insubordination.
“Yeah, it hasn’t been easy,” Lovullo “You guys saw me the other day, right? I was breaking down because I wanted to make sure he was okay. That’s my point of view. I want to make sure of the human being.”
“That’s not just Ketel … I want to make sure that I’ve left the space that I’m in better than it was when I arrived, and that’s just how I live my life.
“I was hurting. I was clearly hurting. And once I saw what was unfolding, I became extremely frustrated. I felt betrayed, and that’s a whole different type of pain and frustration.”
The Diamondbacks manager’s emotional admission came after Marte and his agent met with Lovullo and GM Mike Hazen on Thursday to clear the air on everything that had transpired.
While the meeting reportedly went well enough for the D-Backs to be optimistic about Marte’s return, Lovullo evidently still had things to get off his chest.
Lovullo spoke out again during Arizona’s pregame show for Friday’s contest against the Cincinnati Reds. He opted to keep the details of his conversation with Marte private, but expressed his “love and respect” for Ketel amidst all the turmoil.
