PHOENIX — Arizona Diamondbacks star second baseman Ketel Marte remains weeks away from getting back on the field due to a left hamstring strain, but his timeline has become a bit more defined as he begins baseball activities.
Marte has started to take ground balls and take swings in the batting cage.
Manager Torey Lovullo told Arizona Sports’ Burns & Gambo and reconfirmed during his pregame press conference that he’s looking at late April or early May as realistic for Marte’s return.
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“If it’s not the end of April, it’s gonna be a very short time after that,” Lovullo said. “He’s taking ground balls, and he’s swinging in the cage. So that’s a really good sign he’s getting healthy.”
Marte, a 2024 MVP finalist and All-Star, began the season hitting .346 with three doubles and six runs scored in eight games. He pulled up lame running the bases on a double he hit at the Washington Nationals on April 4 and landed on the 10-day IL last Saturday.
The 31-year-old infielder has battled through hamstring injuries in both legs throughout his career, missing time on the injured list twice in 2021. He then dealt with hamstring issues in 2022 but remained active.
This latest injury, it appears, is not as severe as some he’s experienced in the past.
“He’s very in tune with his body,” Lovullo said. “When he said it was a grab instead of a yank or a pull or feels like he got stabbed, which had been some of his comments, I felt like we were in a good spot.
“He said it felt like a cramp, something grabbed him and it’s not nearly as bad as it had been in the past, and that’s where I said, ‘Let’s remain optimistic and you’re gonna be on the field as soon as you can. You gotta step away, get healthy and we’re gonna hold down the fort for you.'”
Assistant general manager Mike Fitzgerald mentioned on Wolf & Luke on Wednesday Marte’s timeline appears to be shorter than what the club initially feared, which was a potential absence of 6-8 weeks.
Lovullo mentioned Marte has been sending him videos of the work he’s putting in.
Tim Tawa and Garrett Hampson have split time at second base in his stead, while Geraldo Perdomo has moved up the batting order to Marte’s typical two-hole versus righties and lead-off spot against southpaws.
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