Ketel Marte heads to Phoenix for knee MRI after Diamondbacks restricted list move

Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte is expected to get clarity on his knee after a team decision that sidelined him from the day-to-day grind, even if only temporarily. According to ’s Steve Gilbert, Marte is heading back to Phoenix to undergo an MRI, following his placement on the restricted list one day earlier.

The restricted list placement came alongside the club’s description of the situation as a personal matter. In the immediate baseball timeline, Marte had been pulled from a Friday game with left-knee soreness. He was later able to return to action on Sunday, playing second base, before the MRI plan was reported.

A knee MRI is often used to determine whether soreness is simply inflammation or whether there is a more structural issue that could affect how a player plants, pivots, or accelerates through the middle of the diamond. For Marte, the timing matters because second base is an especially demanding position mechanically, requiring repeatable footwork on balls up the middle and quick transitions when the ball is struck on either side of him.

While the Diamondbacks did not expand on the medical details publicly in the report, the next MRI outcome will shape the team’s short-term approach to managing workload and fielding stability. Even when a player returns quickly from day-to-day discomfort, MRI results can change whether he continues to play through symptoms, shifts his routine, or needs a more extended recovery plan.

This is also a moment when off-field privacy and team operations intersect with roster management. Restricted list designations are used to handle circumstances that are not always straightforward to disclose in public, and they can create uncertainty for managers trying to plan the next stretch. The club’s decision to move Marte to the restricted list, then report his MRI plan, suggests Arizona is trying to balance confidentiality with a clear medical evaluation.

For Diamondbacks fans, the most practical question now is what the imaging reveals and how quickly Marte can return to full, unrestricted activity at second base. Until that information is available, Arizona’s infield alignment and day-to-day lineup decisions could be influenced by the need to keep its middle infield option pool ready if Marte’s knee does not respond the way the team is hoping.