An portion of this article can be found in Reds Beat by Mark Sheldon. Click here to read the complete newsletter. And sign up to receive it in your inbox on a regular basis.

Marte sustained a nasal fracture as a result of a teammate’s botched warm-up toss on September 9 that struck Marte. He missed two games and three starts, but he entered Sunday with an 11-game hitting streak and a 17-game base-running streak.

I have been performing quite well. Using Jorge Merlos as a translator on Friday, Marte admitted that she hadn’t been thinking much about her nose. “At first, I worried about whether the ball would strike me. I simply lost track of that and stopped giving it any thought. The outcomes were evident. I know the ball won’t strike me whether it comes at me or not.

Marte is hitting.368 with an.868 OPS, one home run, and eight RBIs through 19 games in September.

Marte’s first career HR (1)

Marte, 21, no longer experiences terror or the “raccoon eyes” caused by the injury. To avoid coming into contact with a ball or running into another player, he decided not to wear a mask while playing.

“When I touch it, it aches. It doesn’t affect me at all when I’m out there, though,” he remarked. Considering that I can defend myself with my hands, why should I wear protection? I choose not to wear it for that reason.

According to MLB Pipeline, Marte is the top prospect in Cincinnati and the No. 23 prospect overall. His contributions have come at a crucial time for the Reds, when they are scrambling to remain in the mix for a position in the National League Wild Card game.

Marte said, “I’m just honored to feel like part of a team that has a chance to make the postseason, which is something we’ve all wanted from Day One. “I know I can add just a little grain of sand to this pile and make sure we all get where we need to go.”