PHOENIX — The Arizona Diamondbacks' lineup has long relied on Ketel Marte as its steady heartbeat, but this season, that heartbeat has sounded a little irregular. Fans are starting to worry, and for good reason.

The All-Star second baseman has stumbled out of the gate in 2026, and the struggles continued in Chicago over the weekend. In Sunday's series finale against the Cubs at Wrigley Field, Marte went 0-for-5 with three strikeouts, including a painful inning-ending punchout with the bases loaded. The frustration was visible.

Through 32 games, Marte is hitting just .214 with a .629 OPS — a far cry from his career .279 average and the offensive consistency he's delivered for years. For a player who has anchored this lineup through thick and thin, those numbers raise legitimate questions.

The concern has only deepened during Arizona's recent road trip. Over his last eight games, Marte is batting a meager .133 with just four hits — one of them a home run — and two RBIs. Even that brief flash of power hasn't been enough to mask the larger issue: he's simply not making consistent contact.

What makes this slump particularly tough for Diamondbacks fans is the timing. Arizona has struggled in recent series, and while other key contributors have also hit cold spells, Marte's bat could have been the difference-maker. A player of his caliber carries extra weight in the lineup, and his struggles feel magnified when the team needs a spark most.

There have been moments that offered hope — a walk-off double in early April showed the power is still there. But those flashes have been just that: brief glimmers that haven't translated into sustained production. For a team looking to climb the standings, they need their anchor to find his rhythm again, and soon.