Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo couldn’t hide his emotions after the abrupt absence of star Ketel Marte in Monday’s series opener against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park in Boston, Mass.
Marte did not show up for the game, prompting Arizona to place him on the restricted list.
Fighting his tears, the 61-year-old Lovullo assured everyone that Marte was safe but did not specify the exact reason behind the three-time All-Star’s absence.
“No, not really. I love him, and I care for him. He’ll be okay. He is fine,” Lovullo told reporters after the Diamondbacks’ 11-1 loss to the Red Sox, via X user @phxlogan.
“I want you guys to know that I just care about him. So does everybody in that room,” added the clearly emotional Lovullo, who has been managing the Diamondbacks since the 2017 season.
Torey Lovullo appeared to get emotional during the postgame when answering questions about Ketel Marte
— Logan🌵 (@phxlogan) August 18, 2026
He made clear Ketel is ok, but all he knows at this moment is he is dealing with a personal matter pic.twitter.com/nVCFVUgxVG
The news of Marte’s absence raised concerns about his well-being among Diamondbacks fans, so it was reassuring to hear Lovullo say that the 32-year-old Dominican star is fine health-wise.
Still, it is a mystery why Marte didn’t show up when he was expected to be the team’s designated hitter in the Red Sox game.
Marte, who is under contract with the Diamondbacks until at least the 2030 season (he has a player option for the 2031 campaign), is having a relatively down year. Thorugh 118 games, he has hit just 249/.314/.446 with a 107 OPS+ after slashing .283/.376/.517 and posting a 146 OPS+ in 2025.
