Ketel Marte Exits Game With Potential Injury

Disaster strikes early for the Arizona Diamondbacks during Friday afternoon's matchup with the Washington Nationals, as Ketel Marte was forced to exit the ballgame with a potential injury.

Things kicked off fast for the D-backs. A one-out double in the first inning from the club's 2024 MVP candidate looked like it could've been even more. While fans celebrated, things quickly turned darker as Marte called out a trainer and exited the ballgame.

As he rounded into second base, Marte seemed to grab his hamstring. He limped into the bag and looked obviously uncomfortable.

Last year, the second baseman was marked with an ankle injury, something which dampened a potential MVP campaign. A loss of this caliber could seriously limit Arizona's playoff hopes early this year.

Through 31 plate appearances this season, Marte had hit .320, with an .852 OPS tallying a 156 OPS+. He is a key figure in the lineup, and the clubhouse for the Diamondbacks. On Wednesday, Marte signed a contract extension, adding three years and $64 million more onto his current deal.

Marte has been the driving force of an Arizona offense that ranked first in MLB in runs scored. The switch-hitting veteran hit an impressive .292/.372/.560 this past season, with 36 homers and 95 RBI, despite missing a portion of the season. He won the NL Silver Slugger award at second base, and was worth 6.55 average WAR, placing third in NL MVP voting behind only Shohei Ohtani and Francisco Lindor.

No official team announcement has been released relating to the injury, but we will update this story as more information is released.