Ketel Marte Sits Sunday, Diamondbacks Shift Vargas and Fernandez

ketel marte was out of the lineup Sunday against the Rockies, and the Diamondbacks had to rework the infield around his absence. There had been no indication he was injured, so the move looked like a maintenance day after he started the previous seven games.

Diamondbacks Rework Infield

Ildemaro Vargas moved to second base for Sunday’s game, while Jose Fernandez picked up a start at first base. That gave Arizona a different alignment for a game Marte would not begin, with the club choosing to spread the work after his run of seven straight starts.

Marte’s absence stood out because it came without an injury note attached to it. For a player who had taken the field in each of the previous seven games, a day off in the middle of a series can reset the lineup without forcing a longer-term change.

Marte's Recent Run

The clearest sign of how the Diamondbacks handled Sunday was the recent workload. Marte had started the previous seven games, which made the decision to sit him more about managing his schedule than responding to a new problem.

For the rest of the infield, the change was straightforward: Vargas handled second, Fernandez started at first, and Arizona moved into the game with those assignments in place. That is the immediate on-field effect for a lineup that had to absorb one regular sitting out while keeping the rest of the structure intact.

For readers tracking Marte, the main takeaway is simple. He was not in the lineup Sunday, the team did not have an injury sign attached to the move, and the Diamondbacks used Vargas and Fernandez to cover the spots his absence opened.