ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS
Arizona Diamondbacks SS Nick Ahmed’s shoulder rehab shut down
Arizona Diamondbacks shortstop Nick Ahmed has had the rehab for his right shoulder injury put on pause, manager Torey Lovullo said on Friday.
Ahmed was shut down for a right shoulder issue on March 30 and worked his way back to return from the injured list on April 22. The 32-year-old, though, would go back to the injured list on May 16.
There was no listing for Ahmed’s placement on the injured list but Bally Sports Arizona’s Jody Jackson said on Friday’s pregame show that Ahmed was working his way back from a bout with COVID-19.
It appears that Ahmed’s recovery process from that led to the same shoulder problems popping back up.
Lovullo even said that he could see Ahmed’s throws during his 17 games this season not performing the way they normally did.
Ahmed was getting back to light baseball activity on Wednesday in a rehab game and his throws were once again off. The inflamed right shoulder led to Ahmed’s rehab process being shut down again and for now the shortstop will not have any baseball activity.
“He was rehabbing and trying to work extremely hard and it was a tough phone call for me yesterday when I spoke to him,” Lovullo said. “He just felt like he’s trying to gut things out and the shoulder was just not responding.”
The next step is for Ahmed to see Dr. Neal Elattrache in Los Angeles.
Ahmed won back-to-back Gold Gloves in 2018-19 and also had a career year at the plate in the latter season, posting bests in homers (19), RBIs (82) and OPS (.753). That earned Ahmed a new four-year contract with the D-backs worth over $32 million.
Since that extension, however, Ahmed has struggled. His OPS across 129 games last season dropped to .619 after a .729 mark in the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign.
In 54 plate appearances this season, Ahmed has three home runs for seven RBIs with a .702 OPS.
Without their everyday shortstop, the D-backs have mostly turned to 22-year-old Geraldo Perdomo. Arizona’s No. 9 prospect in 2021 is also known for his defense and has underperformed at the plate to the tune of a .216 batting average.
The Diamondbacks begin a 10-game road trip on Friday with a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Tune to ESPN 620 AM or 98.7 FM HD-2 for the first pitch at 4:05 p.m.
