Diamondbacks’ Torey Lovullo changes his tune on Ketel Marte as saga continues

The Ketel Marte saga has turned ugly for the Arizona Diamondbacks real quickly. Many were concerned for Marte after he suddenly didn’t show up during the Diamondbacks’ Monday night contest against the Boston Red Sox even though he was scheduled to suit up at designated hitter.

The Diamondbacks quickly put him on the restricted list, and many were wondering just what was going on with the 32-year-old second baseman. Marte has since been moved to the injured list, and this past week, he was seen liking a post on Instagram saying that he no longer wanted to play for the Diamondbacks.

And now, manager Torey Lovullo, who initially reacted with plenty of concern to Marte’s situation, has changed his tune. The feeling of hurting may be the same, but the driving force behind that emotion has changed drastically.

“I was hurting. I was clearly hurting. Once I saw what was unfolding, I became extremely frustrated, and I felt betrayed. And that’s a whole different type of pain,” Lovullo said prior to the Diamondbacks’ Friday night contest at home against the Cincinnati Reds, via Blake Niemann of FOX 10 Phoenix.

Torey Lovullo on the change in his emotions as this Ketel Marte situation has transpired:

"I was hurting. I was clearly hurting. Once I saw what was unfolding, I became extremely frustrated, and I felt betrayed. And that's a whole different type of pain."@FOX10Phoenix pic.twitter.com/sLx22EqaYT

— Blake Niemann (@Blakes_Take2) August 21, 2026

Arizona general manager Mike Hazen flat out said that Marte owes a lot of people in the organization an apology for his actions. Diamondbacks President and CEO Derrick Hall said that the situation remains a “mystery” to him.

But at this point, it’s becoming evident that a divorce between Marte and the Diamondbacks is looking inevitable. Arizona is clearly not pleased with how Marte just abandoned the team in the middle of a series on the road while in the middle of the race for a Wild Card spot, and Marte seems to be angling for a move elsewhere considering how he’s been behaving.

It doesn’t help that Marte seems to have burned his bridge with Lovullo, who has managed the Diamondbacks since 2017. No one should be surprised if the 32-year-old has already played his last game for Arizona.

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