When Will Noelvi Marte Return and Be Back? Fantasy Baseball Injury Update

It didn't take long for the Cincinnati Reds to lose a key player for a hefty chunk of the 2024 season as the promising 22-year-old Noelvi Marte was hit with an 80-game performance-enhancing drug suspension on March 8, leaving the team without its No. 1-ranked prospect for nearly half of the 2024 regular season. As a result of the ban, Marte will not be postseason-eligible should the 27-33 Reds rally and advance.

Acquired in the trade that sent ace Luis Castillo to the Seattle Mariners, Marte made his big league debut at just 21 years of age in 2023. He impressed with a .316 average alongside three homers, six stolen bases, and an .822 OPS across 35 games, production that graded out 20% superior to the league average, as per his 120 wRC+.

Let's dive in and see when Marte is eligible to return from his PED ban and his subsequent fantasy baseball outlook for the remainder of the 2024 campaign.

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Noelvi Marte Update for Fantasy Baseball

According to Reds skipper David Bell, Marte will begin a rehab assignment on June 11 and will mostly play third base along with some reps at second base and shortstop. Right away, this is music to fantasy managers' ears not only because Marte is approaching a big league return but he could indeed gain three-position eligibility, which would be a major boon to his fantasy stock. Marte started all but one game at third base a season ago while making two appearances at shortstop.

Noelvi Marte’s rehab assignment is scheduled to start on June 11. David Bell said he’ll mostly play third and also play some second base and shortstop.

— Charlie Goldsmith (@CharlieG__) June 3, 2024

The first MLB contest Marte would be eligible for, assuming all goes well in his rehab stint, would be a June 21 clash with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Noelvi Marte Fantasy Baseball Outlook

Of course, the production the youngster put up at such a young age a season ago caught the attention of fantasy managers everywhere. Those who exercised patience on draft day could be rewarded midseason with not only a productive bat but also a player with three-position eligibility.

Marte has displayed an advanced approach at the plate, including a 12% BB% against only an 18.6% K% across 39 games at Triple-A last season. He has a track record of patience at the plate to go along with excellent contact and bat-handling skills.

Of course, fantasy managers are also interested in a developing power/speed combination that yielded 14 homers and 24 stolen bases in 124 games across three levels, including the big leagues, last season. The power will continue to develop while the speed is already big league ready with a 91st percentile sprint speed last season.

Noelvi Marte sends one into the bullpen!

MLB's No. 23 prospect (@Reds) slugs his second big league homer and extends his on-base streak to 20 games: pic.twitter.com/3U0cU3e9U4

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) September 30, 2023

Patient fantasy managers could very well be rewarded with an extremely valuable player for the second half of 2024 and well beyond.

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