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The Arizona Diamondbacks are without the heart of their offense today and possibly for the foreseeable future. Center fielder Ketel Marte isn’t in Thursday’s lineup versus the Colorado Rockies after suffering a right leg injury while running to first base during Wednesday’s game.
Ketel Marte limping off the field... pic.twitter.com/Hdv7jJBG8l
— Bally Sports Arizona (@BallySportSAZ) April 8, 2021
D-Backs manager Torey Lovullo said after the game, per Zach Buchanan of The Athletic, that Marte felt his leg start to cramp up while making his way to first. Arizona hasn’t placed Marte on the injured list yet, but they could make a move soon.
In place of Marte, Tim Locastro is starting in center field and batting leadoff for the Diamondbacks against Rockies right-hander Jon Gray today. Locastro is only 2-for-14 this season, but one of those hits was a home run on Opening Day. He isn’t going to leave the yard often, but he also stole a base the following day, and that is something Locastro does well. He’s not a bad DFS option at Coors Field. He costs just $3,400 on DraftKings.
Michael Taylor, Cedric Mullins and Nick Senzel are a few outfielders off to blistering starts this season who are worth looking into in the scenario that Marte has to miss a significant period of time. Each player is available in at least 40 percent of ESPN.com leagues.