Ketel Marte cleared for batting practice, could return early next week

Ketel Marte has been cleared for batting practice and could return from the injured list early next week, per MLB.com.

The timeline would bring the Arizona second baseman back during the club's three-game series against the Cubs at Chase Field or the subsequent road trip to San Francisco, though no firm activation date has been announced.

What happened

Marte received clearance to resume batting practice, per MLB.com, marking a step forward in his recovery. The club indicated he could return from the injured list early next week, though the exact date remains unspecified.

The Diamondbacks open a three-game homestand against Chicago on Tuesday, with Brandon Pfaadt scheduled to face Clay Holmes. Eduardo Rodriguez and Matthew Boyd are set to meet Wednesday. The club then travels to Oracle Park for a Thursday opener, with Jose Cabrera opposing Landen Roupp.

Why it matters

Marte's absence has removed one of Arizona's most versatile bats from the lineup during a stretch in which the club sits 10.5 games behind the National League West leader. The Diamondbacks carry a 75-68 record and hold second place in the division, a position that places the focus squarely on the wild-card race as the season enters its final month.

The timing of his return—if it falls within the early-next-week window—would give Arizona a full month with Marte back in the fold before the regular season concludes. That span includes a schedule that asks the club to make up ground in both the division and wild-card races while managing the roster churn that accompanies late August and the September expansion to 28 active players.

Batting practice clearance typically precedes a rehab assignment or, in cases where the injury has been minor and the player has maintained conditioning work, a direct activation. The report does not specify whether Marte will require a rehab stint before rejoining the active roster.

Where the club stands

Arizona enters Tuesday's game against the Cubs with a 75-68 record, good for second place in the National League West and 10.5 games behind the division leader. The club has won its most recent game and faces a Cubs team that has spent the summer oscillating between contention and seller, a familiar late-August posture for clubs outside the playoff picture.

The Diamondbacks' upcoming schedule offers a mix of home and road games, beginning with two against Chicago at Chase Field before a trip to Oracle Park. Brandon Pfaadt draws the Tuesday start opposite Clay Holmes, while Eduardo Rodriguez and Matthew Boyd are set for Wednesday. Jose Cabrera is slated to open the San Francisco series Thursday against Landen Roupp.

The 75-68 mark leaves Arizona in the thick of the wild-card race. The club's position—second in the division, 10.5 games back—suggests a path to October that runs through the wild-card rather than the division crown, a reality that makes every game in the final month a referendum on the roster's depth and health.

What we don't know yet

The report does not specify the injury that placed Marte on the injured list, nor does it indicate how long he has been sidelined. The absence of those details leaves the nature of his recovery—and the reason for the batting-practice milestone—unclear.

It is also not known whether Marte will require a rehab assignment before activation. Position players on the injured list may be sent on rehab assignments lasting up to 20 days, though clubs often activate players directly when the injury has been minor and the player has maintained conditioning work during the absence.

The phrase "early next week" leaves a range of possible activation dates. The timing matters: an activation on or after September 1 would allow Arizona to add Marte without removing another player from the active roster, a luxury that eases the roster-management calculus that defines late-season returns from injury.

What to watch

The next step in Marte's progression will clarify whether he requires a rehab assignment or proceeds directly to activation. If the club opts for a rehab stint, minor-league box scores will offer the first look at his timing and conditioning. If he bypasses that step, the next roster move will be the activation itself, accompanied by a corresponding move to create space on the 26-man roster—unless the club waits until September 1, when the active roster expands to 28 and no corresponding move is required.

Arizona's schedule over the next week offers a natural window for Marte's return. The Cubs series at Chase Field runs Tuesday through Thursday, followed by the trip to San Francisco. A return during the homestand would give Marte the benefit of familiar surroundings and a controlled environment for his first games back. A return in San Francisco would place him on the road, a less common choice for a player returning from injury but not without precedent when the timeline dictates it.

The Diamondbacks' position in the standings—second in the division, within reach of the wild-card—makes Marte's return a matter of both immediate lineup construction and longer-term roster health. The club faces a schedule that will determine whether Arizona extends its season into October or watches from home. Marte's presence, whenever it arrives, will reshape the lineup and offer another option in the daily calculus of who plays where and when.

The report from MLB.com offers a timeline but not a certainty, a familiar posture for injury updates in late August. Cleared for batting practice is a milestone, not a finish line. Early next week is a target, not a promise. The Diamondbacks will know more in the coming days, and so will we.