PHOENIX — Ketel Marte is having one of the best seasons of his career on the field.

That hasn’t stopped a fair amount of criticism for the Arizona Diamondbacks slugger off of it.

The All-Star second baseman apologized through an interpreter Monday for missing three games following the All-Star break after flying back to his home in the Dominican Republic — a situation that has apparently been festering in the clubhouse over the past month.

The 31-year-old said he initially expected to return to Phoenix immediately following the break but was “frustrated” and “in a bad spot” after he learned his residence in Scottsdale, Arizona, had been burglarized during the break, according to the interpreter.

The D-backs were playing a crucial stretch of games — fighting for playoff position ahead of the July 31 trade deadline. Arizona placed Marte on the restricted list for the first two games of his absence and then he didn’t play a third game after returning to the club.

In response to criticisms that he takes too many games off, Marte said he has dealt with injury issues and is following a plan designed by the training staff. Marte has missed 33 games this year, the majority of which were because of a hamstring injury.

“I know there’s an elephant in the room and I’ll just say what I want to say about it,” D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said. “I know that Ketel talked to you guys and I’m proud of him for doing that. That’s not easy for him to do. I know he showed some vulnerability and I’m really proud of him for digging in the way that he did.

“What I’ll say about Ketel are the things that I know — he’s a great teammate, he’s a great young man, he plays hard every single day for the Arizona Diamondbacks. He just wants to win baseball games. That’s it.”

Marte has dealt with a torrent of criticism after a report in the Arizona Republic last week said that some teammates were frustrated with the second baseman’s behavior over the past month and that his absence after the All-Star break might have partially caused the team’s collapse before the trade deadline.

The D-backs came into the season with high expectations but are 60-65.

Arizona won the three games Marte missed after the All-Star break — sweeping the St. Louis Cardinals — but then lost nine of 10 when he returned to the lineup.

That affected the organization’s approach at the trade deadline. The Diamondbacks sent third baseman Eugenio Suárez and first baseman Josh Naylor to the Seattle Mariners in separate deals, outfielder Randal Grichuk to the Kansas City Royals and right-hander Merrill Kelly to the Texas Rangers.

Marte is having a terrific all-around offensive season, batting .297 with 23 homers and 56 RBIs. The three-time All-Star has been with the organization since 2017 and was key to the team’s unexpected run to the World Series in 2023.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

CHICAGO — Cubs right fielder Kyle Tucker is likely to get multiple days off after going 0-for-4 in Game 1 of a doubleheader Monday, manager Craig Counsell announced after his team’s 7-0 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers.

Tucker, 28, has struggled mightily this month, hitting .160 with zero extra-base hits. He was booed after each of his final three at-bats in Game 1, including two weak groundouts and a popup to left field. He also grounded out in his first at-bat.

“The fans are frustrated, and Kyle is frustrated,” Counsell said after the game. “When you make outs, it doesn’t look good. He’s trying. It’s just not clicking. We’re going to have to take a step back here, just give him some days off to reset him, hopefully.”

Players aren’t available to speak between doubleheaders, so Tucker couldn’t comment on the decision. He hasn’t homered since July 19 and has just four extra-base hits since July 1.

“He’s frustrated, and we’re not coming up with solutions for him and he’s not coming up with solutions,” Counsell said. “Sometimes, you have to take some steps back to go forward again.”

Overall, Tucker is hitting .261 with an .821 OPS, but his ground ball rate has skyrocketed in August. It’s 53.7%, 17th highest among qualified hitters, according to ESPN Research. Entering the month, he ranked ninth lowest in ground ball rate.

“It’s not for lack of effort on the coaching side or Kyle’s side,” Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said before the game. “He hasn’t slugged in quite a while. The ball is not in the air. The exit velos aren’t high. A lot of it is mechanical. If you look at his swing early in the year, as opposed to now, it’s less connected, therefore less powerful.”

Tucker jammed his right ring finger in early June, an injury that could have impacted the grip on his swing and subsequently his mechanics, but he insists that’s not an issue. The eight-year veteran will be a free agent after this season.

“He’s too good a player for it not to click,” Hoyer said. “He’s going to get hot again. Hopefully, it’s a torrid-hot streak like it was in April.”

That streak won’t begin at least for a few games as Tucker will continue to work behind the scenes to find solutions while getting a mental reset. Meanwhile, Cubs starter Cade Horton left Game 1 in the third inning because of a blister issue, but he said he thinks he’ll make his next start.

“It’s nothing crazy,” Horton said.

PHILADELPHIA — Phillies ace Zack Wheeler had surgery Monday to remove a blood clot in his upper right arm, and the team says a timeline for his recovery remains unknown.

Manager Rob Thomson acknowledged the uncertainty, saying, “We don’t know,” when asked whether Wheeler would pitch again this season, or if the situation was career-threatening.

The Phillies said Wheeler underwent a thrombolysis procedure by Dr. Paul DiMuzio at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital.

Wheeler, 35, a three-time All-Star who leads the majors with 195 strikeouts, was placed on the injured list Saturday after experiencing worsening shoulder “heaviness” following his start in Washington the previous night.

His condition fell under the realm of thoracic outlet syndrome, a known risk for overhead-throwing athletes, where compressed blood vessels or nerves near the neck can lead to clot formation.

Treatment options vary depending on the root cause. In addition to clot-dissolving procedures, athletes often undergo extended blood thinner therapy — spanning months — or even rib resection surgery to prevent recurrence, with high return-to-play rates in cases where such interventions are successful.

Meanwhile, the Phillies are left without the anchor of their rotation with six weeks to go in the regular season. The National League East leaders are leaning on a group of pitchers, including Cristopher Sánchez, Ranger Suárez, Taijuan Walker and Jesús Luzardo, to fill the void. Aaron Nola, who missed three months because of ankle and rib injuries, returned to the rotation on Sunday.

“You could always rely on [Wheeler] every fifth day, but at the same time, I have confidence in our entire rotation,” Thomson said. “As tough as it is to lose Zack, I feel really good about our staff. I really do.”

In 24 starts this season, Wheeler is 10-5 with a 2.71 ERA. He has thrown at least 192 innings in three of the previous four seasons.

Beyond the immediate baseball implications, teammates have rallied around Wheeler.

“He’s the heart of this team, the heart of the staff … you never want to see it,” reliever Matt Strahm said, emphasizing that Wheeler’s health is everyone’s priority.