Ketel Marte Returns to D-backs Lineup, Batting Cleanup vs. Phillies

Ketel Marte is back in the Arizona Diamondbacks lineup, slotting into the cleanup spot for the series opener against the Phillies, per Steve Gilbert of MLB.com.

The return closes out a stretch that had been anything but quiet. Marte had been away from the club for roughly two weeks before a reported Monday meeting with teammates, and the Diamondbacks had him listed as targeting activation from the 10-day IL — where he had been since Aug. 16 with a knee injury — ahead of that same Monday game. His appearance in the lineup is the resolution that had been building through those updates.

What to watch

Batting cleanup is a meaningful vote of confidence from the Arizona coaching staff, dropping Marte directly into the heart of the order rather than easing him back at the bottom. Whether that role holds as the series progresses is worth monitoring, particularly given the knee injury that kept him out.

What remains unconfirmed is any timetable or restriction attached to his return — the source does not detail whether he carries any limitations heading into the game.

The D-backs are also keeping an eye on Corbin Burnes, who threw 2 perfect innings in his first Triple-A Reno rehab outing. Marte's return, with Burnes working his way back separately, gives Arizona's roster picture a somewhat more optimistic shape than it held a week ago.