Ahmed steps up as D-backs again stun Braves

ATLANTA -- All position players in Major League Baseball want to play as often as they possibly can, but for D-backs shortstop Nick Ahmed, it’s something that fueled him throughout his career.

Once he got to the big leagues in 2014, he had to fight for playing time with other shortstops the D-backs had on the roster. By 2018, he was the full-time starter, and trying to get him to take a day off was not easy.

In 2019, he played in 158 games and most memorably insisted on starting a day game after a 6-hour, 53-minute, night game that had lasted 19 innings. It was the final week of the season, and Arizona had already been eliminated from the postseason chase and had an expanded roster of players, but Ahmed wasn’t giving in.

• Box: D-backs 5, Braves 3

During the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, he injured his right shoulder during Summer Camp but still talked his way into the lineup for 57 of the 60 games the D-backs played that year.

After missing most of last season following surgery on that same shoulder, Ahmed’s playing time has been cut back with the emergence of 23-year-old All-Star shortstop Geraldo Perdomo. Ahmed gets most of the starts against left-handed pitchers, with Perdomo playing against righties.

On Wednesday night, though, Ahmed got the call against righty Charlie Morton and managed to drive home a pair of key runs as the D-backs beat the MLB-best Braves, 5-3, for the second night in a row at a sold-out Truist Park.

“He does want to be in the middle of everything,” D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said. “He wants to help the team, and he's just a team player. I'm sure it's been very difficult for him. It's been difficult for me too. And, you know, we're managing it the best way we can, and he hasn't complained one time. He is preparing himself and he's ready. I've had several conversations with him about how badly he wants to be in there.”

Ahmed came through with an RBI double in the sixth inning and an RBI single in the eighth to tack on to Arizona’s lead, backing a strong start for rookie Ryne Nelson. Those runs would prove important as Atlanta rallied for one run in the seventh and another in the ninth before Kevin Ginkel closed out the Braves for the second straight night.

“You know me, I want to play the best and compete out there every single game,” Ahmed said. “But right now it's not the role I’m in, and I’m just ready every single time my name is called. And sometimes you don't get the job done, and you don't play for a couple of days and it hurts. You want to be out there helping your team win, so when you do come through, it does feel good, especially beating a good team.”

Fellow veteran Christian Walker, who has been Ahmed’s teammate since 2018, cautioned against thinking that Ahmed’s contributions to the team have come only when he’s played this year.

Even when he’s been on the bench, Walker said Ahmed is always in tune with what’s going on out on the field, offering a nugget of information on a pitcher or game situation to some of his younger teammates while setting an example with his preparation.

“I’ve been around a lot of good baseball players and a lot of good coaches, so I'm just trying to give it back when I can,” Ahmed said. “These young guys are hungry, and they want to get better. They show up, and they're looking for ways to learn and grow, so it's fun to be able to share that and teach guys the things that I've been taught and learned throughout my time.”

The times he can actually help on the field, though, remain the most rewarding. Not just to him, but to his teammates who see the work he puts in each day.

“It's awesome,” Walker said. “I'm happy for him. I'm proud of him, and I'm not surprised.”