It was a concerning moment Saturday when Arizona Diamondbacks star Ketel Marte left the win over the Philadelphia Phillies, 11-1, early as he was injured on a slide by catcher Garrett Stubbs. While he was limping off, Marte did speak after the game to talk about the injury and a possible timetable for a return back to action.
Marte was diagnosed with a left ankle contusion Saturday which could have been much worse since his ankle got caught under Stubbs when he was sliding for second base. However, Marte said that not only does he “feel better,” though there was some initial concern, but he will “be ready by Monday” according to Steve Gilbert of MLB.com.
“I feel better,” Marte said. “Thankfully it came out well. I was a little scared at first, but thankfully it came out well. I’ll be ready by Monday.”
In the same game he would hit a home run, which was his 30th of the year, to start the offense going for Arizona as on the season, besides the 30 dingers, he has 80 RBIs and sporting a .299 batting average. Despite the worrisome nature from the Diamondbacks fans, they would cheer for Marte to get better, even chanting “MVP” chants when he was walking off gingerly which was flattering to the 30-year old player.
“When I hear that I’m proud of myself and it feels good,” Marte said. “But right now I’m not focused on that. I’m focused on helping my team.”
No animosity between Diamondbacks' Ketel Marte and Garrett Stubbs
Stubbs was very worried about Marte after the game in his press conference with the media where he even mentioned that a message will be sent to Marte to check on him. The 31-year old catcher would go through the play and said as soon as he had contact with Marte, “I knew that I got him good.”
“It was horrible,” Stubbs said. “I’m going to text somebody over there later tonight and see how everything’s going with him. When I hit him, I hit him with my collarbone, and I knew that I got him good. I immediately reached for him and obviously he was in some pain and I hope he’s all right.”
However, people that are quick to assume any animosity between the two players would be foolish to do so since Marte knows it's a bang-bang play. He would talk about Stubbs after the game and even called him a “good kid” according to ESPN.
“No, he's a good kid and he slid head first and was trying not to hurt me,” Marte said.
Diamondbacks teammate and outfielder Jake McCarthy witnessed the whole ordeal with Marte and even with another key injury in pitcher Zac Gallen, “hoping for the best.”
“You're just hoping for the best,” McCarthy said of seeing the injuries happen to Marte and Gallen, who suffered from cramps. “Obviously, every game counts, but in that moment, you're just like, ‘All right, let's make sure they're healthy.’ We need them moving forward.”
Arizona is 65-53 on the season which puts them third in the NL West as they finish the series against the Philadelphia Phillies Sunday.
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