The San Francisco Giants announced that they are suspending Harrison Bader's salary after he reportedly crashed a scooter into a fire truck. (This video contains AI-assisted content)
One of the weirdest stories of the 2026 Major League Baseball season just keeps getting weirder.
The Arizona Diamondbacks had a tough start to the year, but have battled back to put themselves squarely in postseason contention. Led by Corbin Carroll, Geraldo Perdomo, Gabriel Moreno and a resurgent Nolan Arenado, the Diamondbacks as of Wednesday afternoon found themselves just 1.5 games out of the third wild card spot in the National League.
Importantly, they finish out the season with three games against the team they're chasing, the San Diego Padres. Perhaps even more importantly? They might have to chase those Padres down without one of their best players, infielder Ketel Marte.
SAN DIEGO PADRES STAR MANNY MACHADO IS WRONG TO COMPLAIN ABOUT MODERN MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
Marte's had a down season, by his very high standards, but still leads the team in home runs with 21, strikes out just 15% of the time, and typically contributes solid to above-average defense. There's just one problem: he didn't show up to the game a few days ago, and nobody seems to know exactly why.
Ketel Marte of the Arizona Diamondbacks looks on before the game against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park in Seattle, Washington, on May 30, 2026. (Maddy Grassy/Getty Images)
Monday afternoon, the Diamondbacks were set to start a series against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Each game vitally important, a series against a tough opponent on the road, and Marte just… didn't show up. With no explanation.
Arizona waited until 20 minutes before game time to put Marte on the restricted list, and the story got even stranger afterward. Manager Torey Lovullo was asked about Marte's absence after the game and said he tried talking to his star infielder but "there was very little coming back."
"It's been a crazy day. All I know is he's dealing with a personal issue," he said postgame. "We're trying to figure that out. He didn't show up today, and he was put on the restricted list. That's as much as I know right now.
"I'm sure in time we'll start to uncover and unravel some information. But I knew that there was something going on today. … I still believed he was going to be here. He just didn't show up."
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Ketel Marte of the Arizona Diamondbacks bats during the first inning against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park in Seattle, Washington, on May 30, 2026. (Maddy Grassy/Getty Images)
Lovullo also seemed uncertain that Marte was even in Boston at all.
That personal matter, whatever it is, then turned into him getting an MRI for some undisclosed injury. After not showing up on Monday, he was absent once again on Tuesday, meaning he wasn't seen by the team's medical staff or coaching personnel. Once again, Lovullo seemed completely unaware of what was happening with the 32-year-old.
