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Ketel Marte Scratched on Friday Due to Illness
Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte (illness) was scratched from Friday's game against the visiting New York Mets due to an illness, according to Steve Gilbert of MLB.com. With Marte under the weather, Ildemaro Vargas is making the start at second base at Chase Field and will hit in the two-hole against Mets right-hander Nolan McLean. Jose Fernandez will enter the lineup at first base. It continues what has been a rough start to the 2026 season for Marte, who came into Friday's action hitting a lowly .209/.262/.353 with a .614 OPS, five home runs, 13 RBI, and 19 runs scored in his 139 at-bats for the Snakes. Fantasy managers will want to check back on Saturday to see if he's feeling good enough to return to the D-backs' starting nine. Hopefully, the day off will help Marte get his head right so he can begin turning things around at the plate. Vargas has been one of the best storylines of the 2026 campaign early on, finding regular playing time in Arizona and hitting an impressive .360/.381/.614 in his 120 plate appearances.
Source: MLB.com - Steve Gilbert
Source: MLB.com - Steve Gilbert
