Sports
What’s going on with Ketel Marte? Plus: Is PCA the NL MVP?
The Windup Newsletter 
No-Show: Marte placed on restricted list
On June 10, in this very newsletter, we quoted Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo defending his second baseman, Ketel Marte, by refuting reports that Marte’s teammates were frustrated with him for taking too many days off:
“There’s this underlying theme that he’s not a good teammate, and it’s pulling at the fabric of the clubhouse chemistry, which is not true at all. … What I ask (would) stop is that theme that something is not right in the clubhouse because of Ketel Marte. That couldn’t be further from the truth. He’s been a great teammate.”
After yesterday’s game, Lovullo seemed more bummed out. When asked if he was worried about Marte, Lovullo was clearly emotional, and said, “No, not really. I just love him and I care for him. (It’ll) be OK.”
Lovullo didn’t relay much else on the situation.
“It’s been a crazy day. All I know is that he’s dealing with a personal issue,” the manager said. “We’re trying to figure that out. … (I’m) doing my best to reach out to him. There’s very little coming back.”
Asked if Marte was still in Boston, Lovullo sighed and weighed his response.
“Umm … I believe so,” he concluded. “I’m not sure.”
There’s a lot we still don’t know, but here’s what has been reported at the time of this writing:
- Before yesterday’s opener in Boston, the Diamondbacks placed Marte on the restricted list. From that story:As MLB defines it, players on the restricted list remain under contract with their club, but they are not with the club and thus no longer mandated to be compensated. Placing a player on the restricted list requires approval from MLB.
In other words, teams can’t just decide to put players on that list for no reason. - What was that reason? Multiple reports — including Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic and Steve Gilbert of MLB.com — said that Marte simply didn’t come to Fenway Park yesterday. Piecoro noted yesterday that Marte was physically healthy. Today, Piecoro reported Marte is returning to Arizona to undergo an MRI on his knee.
- Why didn’t he show up? We don’t know yet. For now, Arizona is without its three-time All-Star as the team tries to chase down the Padres in the NL wild-card race.
- For the time being, Marte has been replaced on the roster by Jose Fernandez. This is a very smooth way to transition into a correction: In yesterday’s Windup, I noted that Fernandez homered twice in his big-league debut. That’s true, but it happened on March 31 of this year (not April).
More corrections: I said that Joshua Báez was the 13th player this year to homer in his first big-league “at-bat.” I meant first MLB game — Felix Reyes (Phillies), Eduardo Valencia (Tigers) and Chase DeLauter of the Guardians were the only three before Báez to homer in their first at-bat.
More corrections (sorta): Speaking of DeLauter, I listed him as the other two-homer “debut” this year. While that game on April 26 was his regular-season debut, his first big-league game was Game 2 of the 2025 Wild Card Series against the Tigers.
Middle Relief: What happened to Turner? Chicago’s catching?
In this week’s Power Rankings, we filled in the blank: What happened to ____? Here’s an excerpt, featuring the Phillies and White Sox, who tied for eighth place this week.
Philadelphia Phillies
Record: 68-58
Last Power Ranking: T-8
What happened to: Trea Turner
It felt like Trea had Turnered the corner in the last couple weeks of July, when he looked like his usual self at the plate. Instead, August has been a harsh return to where he was for the first three months of the season (and where the Phillies as a team were in April).
The formula in Philadelphia is not complicated: What makes the Phillies so dangerous come October is their high-end talent, of which Turner is supposed to be a critical part.
If he’s a dynamic leadoff hitter in front of Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper with Cristopher Sánchez or Zack Wheeler on the mound, that’s a tough team to beat in a short series. If he’s not, a team that lacks some depth to begin with gets too shallow to seriously contend. — Tim Britton
Chicago White Sox
Record: 65-59
Last Power Ranking: 10
What happened to: The catching, all of it
Entering the 2026 campaign, catching was supposed to be one of Chicago’s least concerns. That was before Kyle Teel injured himself during the World Baseball Classic, and before his replacements, Edgar Quero and Reese McGuire, provided negative offensive and defensive value.
When Teel finally did return, it was short-lived as the backstop suffered another lower-body injury, one without a timeline for a return. In a particularly cruel twist of fate, Joey Bart, a deadline acquisition, made it three games before a 97.7 mph hit-by-pitch fractured his left hand. Now, the White Sox turn to Jake Rogers, who is on his fourth team in the last two-plus weeks. It’s a good thing, then, that Chicago entered Monday with a 5 1/2 game lead in the AL Central. — Johnny Flores Jr.
For the 28 teams that did not end up tied for eighth, click here.
Instant Overreaction: Is Crow-Armstrong the NL MVP?
Did I decide to write this section about four seconds after Pete Crow-Armstrong’s walk-off home run gave the Cubs a 7-5 win over their crosstown-rival White Sox last night? Sure. After all, it was PCA’s second home run (and fourth hit) of the night. He’s the league’s first 30/30 player this year.
But one dramatic Chicago-on-Chicago walk-off does not justify a question that bold, not when Ohtani exists — and also hit two home runs last night.
So let’s justify it. I think there’s a legitimate case to be made that Crow-Armstrong might do what hasn’t been done since Aaron Judge hit 62 home runs in 2022: beat Ohtani in a head-to-head MVP vote.
Here’s a quick comparison of their offensive numbers this year:
(*cWAR is a thing I made up: I average bWAR (Baseball Reference) and fWAR (FanGraphs). WPA is Win Probability Added, which I did not make up. Both cWAR and WPA are up to date through yesterday afternoon. HR/OPS are current.)
But let’s get real. The argument for Ohtani as MVP has never (outside that 50/50 season in 2024) been that he’s just the best hitter in the league. It’s that for as long as he’s hitting and pitching at a high level, how could any other player provide more value than that?
Well …
OK, that’s a silly chart. Innings pitched vs. Outs Above Average isn’t particularly informative. But the intent was to illustrate this point: While Ohtani’s skill set is unique — he’s 8-2 with a 1.79 ERA in 14 starts this year — Crow-Armstrong also has something Ohtani doesn’t; he’s the best defender in the sport.
23 Outs Above Average — 1st
21.3 Def (FanGraphs) — 1st
24 FRV (Fielding Run Value) — 1st
If Ohtani and Crow-Armstrong finish the season with similar offensive numbers, I think the vote will come down to which is deemed more valuable: Ohtani’s pitching or Crow-Armstrong’s center-field defense?
I’m still not sure where I land.
Injury Updates: Yankees rotation line change
Yankees fans have been waiting for their quartet of stars to return from the IL. Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger and Giancarlo Stanton are still working their ways back, but Carlos Rodón is scheduled to start tonight against the Orioles.
Ahh, but it’s still a quartet on the IL. In a surprise move, Max Fried was added to the IL for a problem that previously cost him two months on the shelf: a left elbow bone bruise.
As Brendan Kuty reports here, Fried didn’t seem hurt during his last start, and there is no timeline for his return. But the team is clearly hoping for a faster return this time; two months from now would be Oct. 18 — well into the postseason.
Fried is 4-4 with a 2.81 ERA in 15 starts this year.
More Yankees: From Babe Ruth to Mickey Mantle to Derek Jeter, the original Yankee Stadium was a baseball shrine. After the team moved to the new stadium in 2009, the original one was converted into a public park, replete with a baseball field on that hallowed ground. So, why has it fallen into such disrepair?
Handshakes and High Fives
Notice to third-base coaches: Run against the Mets’ young outfielders at your own risk.
Fire up the “fun minor-league pitcher call-up” alarm: The Giants are bringing Matt “Tugboat” Wilkinson to the big leagues.
It seems CJ Abrams is not thrilled with moving to second base, but insists he’ll do what it takes to help the team.
Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly has been tinkering with “the levers” a bit more of late. Is it working?
José E. Feliciano and Kwanza Jones were unanimously approved by league owners to officially purchase the Padres, now valued at $3.9 billion. Meanwhile, one of their minor-league catching instructors, Oswaldo Pirela, has been detained by ICE. (No, I don’t know how you’re supposed to read those two sentences back-to-back without having an existential crisis.
Most-clicked in our last Windup: Patrick Mooney and Katie Woo introducing us to Joshua Báez.
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