Ketel Marte and the Diamondbacks prepare to move forward together

The Diamondbacks are preparing to welcome Ketel Marte back, hoping his return can close a difficult chapter that began when the infielder failed to show up for an Aug. 17 game at Fenway Park.

Marte’s teammates and club executives initially did not know why he had missed the scheduled game against the Boston Red Sox. Several days later, Marte and his agent met with general manager Mike Hazen and manager Torey Lovullo at Salt River Fields, giving the team an opportunity to hear his explanation directly.

Arizona first placed Marte on the restricted list before moving him to the 10-day injured list. An MRI showed inflammation in his left knee. His stint on the injured list is scheduled to end Monday, and the club plans to restore him to the active roster for the opening game of the series against the Philadelphia Phillies at Chase Field.

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We’re playing good baseball right now. We need to keep playing good baseball. I think an apology would lift this group even more. He doesn’t know how powerful it would be if he did something like that.

Lovullo said Marte apologized to him and Hazen during their meeting. The manager believes a similar apology to his teammates could help repair the situation inside the clubhouse. “We’re playing good baseball right now,” Lovullo said. “We need to keep playing good baseball. I think an apology would lift this group even more. He doesn’t know how powerful it would be if he did something like that.”

Lovullo and Hazen also met with veteran players, including Corbin Carroll, Geraldo Perdomo, Nolan Arenado, Eduardo Rodríguez and Merrill Kelly. The nearly 45-minute discussion allowed players to share their views. Some teammates may still be unhappy with how Marte handled the absence, but Arizona is in a tight race with the Padres for the National League’s final wild-card spot and recognizes that its chances are strongest with Marte in the lineup. Hazen described the meeting as “a fairly open and honest conversation” and said he wanted to hear what the players thought.

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A fairly open and honest conversation.