Diamondbacks Place Ketel Marte on Restricted List After All-Star Break Burglary

Getting named an All-Star is supposed to be the highlight of your summer, not the scouting report for a local burglary ring.

MLB Trade Rumors relayed the news that the Arizona Diamondbacks have officially placed star second baseman Ketel Marte on the restricted list. Manager Torey Lovullo confirmed Marte asked for a few days away from the team after his Phoenix-area home was robbed while he was away playing in the All-Star Game.

"Torey Lovullo said Marte asked for time away to 'get grounded and get himself back to where he can come back here and play and be a force.'"

You cannot blame the guy for needing a minute to get his life sorted. Having your house tossed while you are hitting doubles off Tarik Skubal on national television is an objectively terrible trade-off.

The timing is brutal for an Arizona team desperately trying to figure out if they are buyers or sellers. Marte has been the absolute engine of this offense, slashing a massive .290/.394/.567 with 19 home runs in just 68 games. Taking that kind of production out of the lineup leaves a crater.

To stop the bleeding, the Diamondbacks signed veteran infielder Sergio Alcantara, who has spent most of his year playing for the San Francisco Giants' Triple-A affiliate in Sacramento. Going from an MVP-level second baseman to a guy who was just grinding in the Pacific Coast League is the kind of downgrade that makes front offices sweat.

Arizona is currently sitting 5.5 games back in the National League Wild Card race with four teams to jump. They just took two out of three from the Atlanta Braves, but trying to maintain that momentum without your best hitter is a massive hurdle.

The Diamondbacks are heading into a road series against the Boston Red Sox, and the betting lines are going to shift heavily against Arizona until Marte returns. Lovullo called the situation day-to-day, so fans and bettors alike will be refreshing the transaction wire hoping their star gets his peace of mind and gets back on the dirt.