Ketel Marte to be placed on bereavement list

Ketel Marte is likely to be placed on the bereavement list by the Arizona Diamondbacks, because his mother was killed in a car accident at their home in the Dominican Republic. Our thoughts are with Ketel and the rest of the Marte family, after this sudden and tragic event. He has returned to the DR.

Although any bereavement list move will only be for a few days, this will tax the D-backs’ depth, especially after the loss of Chris Owings with a broken finger just yesterday. There has not yet been a decision made as to who will replace even Owings. Ildemaro Vargas, who was called up earlier this year, has not played for some time, apparently suffering from a hand issue of his own. Domingo Leyba is also out, having had shoulder surgery. This leaves Jack Reinheimer as the only other middle infielder on the 40-man roster.

One possibility is veteran Emilio Bonifacio, whom the team just announced that they signed. Bonifacio appears likely to be sent to Double-A, but this could be a precursor to a call up, in the same way that Michael Bourn played five games at that level before joining the major-league team last season.