Ahmed is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rays, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.
Ahmed will get just his second day off through the Giants' first 16 games of the season, with Tyler Fitzgerald stepping in to replace him at shortstop. The Giants value Ahmed primarily for his steady glove in the middle infield, as he hasn't offered much to get excited about from a fantasy perspective despite his standing as an everyday player. Over his 48 plate appearances on the season, Ahmed is hitting .261 with zero home runs or stolen bases, six RBI and three runs.
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Giants' Nick Ahmed: Big day in rout
Rotowire
Ahmed went 3-for-3 with a triple, three runs scored and two RBI in Wednesday's 7-1 win over the Nationals.
The bottom of the Giants' batting order drove the offense in this one, as Ahmed (the No. 8 hitter) and Tyler Fitzgerald (No. 9) combined for half of the team's 12 hits, both its extra-base hits and eight total runs plus RBI. Ahmed hadn't had a multi-hit performance since Opening Day, but the veteran shortstop is having a solid start to his first campaign in San Francisco, batting .282 (11-for-39) through 13 games with three runs and six RBI.
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Giants' Nick Ahmed: Heads to bench
Rotowire
Ahmed is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Padres, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.
Ahmed went 3-for-10 with a double and two RBI in the first three games of the season but will take a seat Sunday. Tyler Fitzgerald will step in at shortstop and bat ninth in the series finale.
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Giants' Nick Ahmed: Added to roster, starting Thursday
Rotowire
The Giants selected Ahmed's contract from Triple-A Sacramento on Thursday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. He'll start at shortstop and bat ninth in the Giants' season opener versus the Padres.
Ahmed was signed as a non-roster invitee in late February but wound up winning the everyday shortstop job over Marco Luciano, who has been optioned to Triple-A Sacramento.
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Giants' Nick Ahmed: Takes lead for shortstop job
Rotowire
Ahmed is now ahead of Marco Luciano for the starting job at shortstop, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Ahmed has enjoyed a torrid start to the spring since signing a minor-league deal with the Giants on Feb. 26. He's gone 5-for-9 with two home runs, five RBI, five runs and two walks over four Cactus League games. That's far better than Luciano's 1-for-14 (.071) mark with nine strikeouts over six contests. Ahmed also provides veteran experience and solid defense, while Luciano has struggled in the field in spring games. Ahmed's chances of keeping up this pace are low -- he slashed .212/.257/.303 with just two home runs over 72 contests last season with the Diamondbacks before he was released in September.
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Giants' Nick Ahmed: Nets NRI deal with Giants
Rotowire
Ahmed signed a minor-league contract with the Giants on Monday that includes an invitation to spring training, Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic reports.
Ahmed will provide some protection at shortstop for presumed starter Marco Luciano, who is currently dealing with a minor hamstring injury. The soon-to-be 34-year-old Ahmed slashed just .212/.257/.303 with two home runs in 210 plate appearances for the Diamondbacks last season before being released in September. He does still offer a steady glove, although it's been more above-average than elite in recent years.
As anticipated, Ahmed went unclaimed off waivers after being designated for assignment last week, as none of baseball's other 29 teams were willing to pick up the money remaining on the four-year, $32.5 million extension he signed in February 2020. Ahmed's 10-year run in Arizona thus comes to an end, though the 33-year-old could draw interest on the open market for clubs in need of a reserve shortstop. Ahmed slashed .212/.257/.303 with two home runs and five stolen bases in 210 plate appearances for Arizona this season.
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Diamondbacks' Nick Ahmed: Designated for assignment
Rotowire
The Diamondbacks designated Ahmed for assignment Wednesday, Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic reports.
Ahmed will be pushed off the 40-man roster in order to clear space for top prospect Jordan Lawlar's arrival. Ahmed posted just a .560 OPS across 210 plate appearances in the majors this season, and he's unlikely to return to the big leagues if he goes unclaimed off waivers.
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Diamondbacks' Nick Ahmed: Can't deliver in loss
Rotowire
Ahmed went 0-for-3 in Tuesday's 3-2 loss to Colorado.
Ahmed had a couple of chances with runners in scoring position but was unable to deliver against the team with the worst record in the National League. The shortstop has just one hit in 22 at-bats over the last 10 games. Ahmed, who has a career .739 OPS against left-handers, was in the lineup against Colorado southpaw Kyle Freeland, but the shortstop's season OPS against lefties fell to .404 following the loss.
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Diamondbacks' Nick Ahmed: Provides insurance in win
Rotowire
Ahmed went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI in Wednesday's 5-3 win over Atlanta.
Ahmed doubled home a run in the sixth inning then singled in another in the eighth. Those proved to be key insurance runs when Atlanta scored in the seventh and ninth innings. The emergence of Geraldo Perdomo, who typically starts against righties, has limited Ahmed's opportunities, but the 33-year-old started against righty Charlie Morton on Wednesday. He's slashing .311/.364/.459 against right-handers in 2023.
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Diamondbacks' Nick Ahmed: Doubles, steals, scores in loss
Rotowire
Ahmed went 1-for-2 with a double, a stolen base and a run scored in Sunday's 7-5 loss to the Blue Jays.
Ahmed doubled, stole third and raced home on a wild pitch in the second inning to give Arizona an early 2-0 lead, the only time the Diamondbacks held a lead during a three-game sweep by Toronto. Ahmed was later pinch hit for against righty Trevor Richards. The switch-hitting Geraldo Perdomo gets the bulk of the starts at shortstop, with Ahmed typically in the lineup against lefties only.
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Diamondbacks' Nick Ahmed: Doubles in loss
Rotowire
Ahmed went 1-for-3 with a double in Wednesday's 3-2 loss to the Rays.
Ahmed was in the starting lineup against Tampa Bay righty Zach Eflin. The shortstop typically doesn't start against right-handers, but the Diamondbacks have seen a string of them lately. His previous start was a week ago, June 22, also against a righty. Ahmed has just 30 plate appearances during the month of June, and the job share between he and Geraldo Perdomo that started the season now tilts heavily in favor of the latter.
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Diamondbacks' Nick Ahmed: Cranks second homer
Rotowire
Ahmed went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Saturday's win over the Tigers.
Ahmed got the Diamondbacks on the board with a two-out, two-run homer in the second inning and has now hit safely in three straight contests. The long ball was only his second of the season as the shortstop continues to split time at the position with Geraldo Perdomo, with the former starting predominantly against left-handed pitching. Ahmed will now look to extend his hitting streak to four games after previously going hitless in six straight.
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Diamondbacks' Nick Ahmed: Snaps hitless slide
Rotowire
Ahmed went 1-for-4 in Monday's 5-2 win over the Marlins.
Ahmed's eighth-inning single snapped an 0-for-20 slide, and he's now hitting .227 after showing some life with the bat early in the season. What began as a job-share at shortstop with Geraldo Perdomo has become more of a classic platoon, with the right-handed hitting Ahmed starting against lefties. That Perdomo is a switch hitter and is raking (1.062 OPS) could lead to a reduction in Ahmed's opportunities going forward.
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Diamondbacks' Nick Ahmed: Belts first home run
Rotowire
Ahmed went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Sunday's 7-5 loss to San Diego.
Ahmed hit the first of back-to-back blasts in the seventh inning for his first round-tripper of the season. So far, so good for Ahmed, who had shoulder surgery in 2022 and has hit well out of the gate. The 33-year-old shortstop is 14-for-36 (.304) with four extra-base hits, three steals, seven RBI and five runs scored. He's not yet taken a walk, which is a trait endemic to the team -- Arizona is last in MLB with 45 walks in 23 games -- but his 17.4 K% is down from 22.2 percent over the last three seasons.
Diamondbacks' Nick Ahmed: Drives in two, cricket style
Rotowire
Ahmed went 1-for-4 with a double and two RBI in Tuesday's 8-7 win over the Cardinals.
Ahmed was part of Arizona's six-run fourth inning, plating two runs after connecting on a pitch that bounced in the dirt and fell into short left field for a double. The 33-year-old shortstop, who battled a balky shoulder the last two seasons and underwent surgery in June of 2022, is off to a promising start. He's hit safely in eight of 11 games, going 12-for-38 (.316) with six RBI, three steals and four runs scored.
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Diamondbacks' Nick Ahmed: Steals two bags
Rotowire
Ahmed went 2-for-5 with two RBI, a run and two stolen bases during Sunday's 11-6 win against the Dodgers.
Ahmed has never posted more than eight steals in any season during his big-league career, but he's already up to three thefts in just six games this year. The 33-year-old is splitting time at shortstop with Geraldo Perdomo, who is off to a hot start in 2023 with a 1.384 OPS.
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Diamondbacks' Nick Ahmed: Provides insurance in return
Rotowire
Ahmed went 1-for-4 with an RBI, a run scored and a stolen base in Friday's 6-3 win over the Dodgers.
Ahmed returned to the lineup after sitting against a pair of right-handers and provided space for the Diamondbacks. The shortstop helped turn a one-run, eighth-inning lead into a more comfortable three-run lead. An infield single plated Evan Longoria, then after stealing his first bag of the season, Ahmed trotted home on Gabriel Moreno's double. He's started at shortstop whenever Arizona faced a lefty, while Geraldo Perdomo got the calls against righties. It's important to note the plan is to bring Ahmed along slowly early in 2023 following last year's shoulder surgery, so he could reclaim a greater share of playing time as the season moves forward.
