At this point, clubs know what to expect from Ahmed, who turns 35 years old in March. He’s not going to provide much at the plate but he’s one of the best defensive shortstops in the game. Last year, he did a tour of the National League West, suiting up for the Giants, Dodgers and Padres throughout the year. He got into 71 games and hit .229/.267/.295.

Most of his career was spent with another NL West club, as he was with the Diamondbacks from 2014 to 2023. His 80 Defensive Runs Saved in that stretch were second among big league shortstops, behind only Andrelton Simmons. Ahmed’s 110 Outs Above Average in that span was also second among all shortstops, with Francisco Lindor at the top in that category.

The offense has never been as impressive. He has a career .234/.287/.371 batting line, which translates to a 71 wRC+. His best stretch was from 2018 to 2020, as he hit .248/.307/.421 for an 89 wRC+ over those years. When combined with his excellent shortstop defense, FanGraphs credited him with 4.0 wins above replacement in the first of those three years, followed by 3.4 fWAR in 2019 and 1.5 fWAR in the shortened 2020 season.

His production at the plate has dipped since then, as he has hit .221/.271/.327 for a 62 wRC+ over the past four seasons. Still, his glovework has been enough to keep him employed in part-time roles over time. Though he’s mostly lined up at short, he has a bit of experience at second base as well.

The Rangers have Corey Seager as their everyday shortstop, though he has a checkered injury history. Over the past four seasons, he has only once played more than 123 games. Josh Smith got a lot of the shortstop playing time late last year when Seager was hurt but his defensive metrics aren’t strong at the position. Ezequiel Durán has played a bit of short but has spent far more time at other positions. Second baseman Marcus Semien is a workhorse but is now 34 years old. If the need for some middle infield help arises, Ahmed gives them an experienced glove-first option they could potentially call upon.

• The Padres made two changes from their NLDS roster, adding left-hander Martin Perez and right-hander Alek Jacob and removing Joe Musgrove and infielder Nick Ahmed.  Musgrove was obviously out due to his impending Tommy John surgery, while replacing Ahmed with a pitcher gives San Diego 13 pitchers to go with 13 position players.  Perez is one of five southpaws on San Diego’s roster, as ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez (X link) was among those who noted that the Padres are guarding themselves as best they can against Shohei Ohtani and other powerful left-handed Dodgers bats.
• The Dodgers will go with an even mix of 13 batters and 13 pitchers, and rookie Edgardo Henriquez has made the list of available arms.  Henriquez only made his MLB debut on September 24 and he has played in just three games as a big leaguer, but Los Angeles will give the hard-throwing righty a look in October to add some velocity to the bullpen.  It’s probably safe to assume that Henriquez wouldn’t have made the cut if the Dodgers weren’t ravaged by pitching injuries, yet the rookie also got the nod over veteran Joe Kelly, who had an inconsistent year but was pitching well after returning from the IL in mid-September.  On the position player side, L.A. didn’t include either Kevin Kiermaier or James Outman, so Andy Pages will be the only true backup outfielder along with utilitymen Enrique Hernandez and Chris Taylor in the bench mix.
• The Phillies will use 14 position players and 12 pitchers in their NLDS matchup with the Mets, with left-hander Kolby Allard joining the relief corps.  Allard has worked as something of a swingman throughout his career, and this ability of covering multiple innings earned Allard the spot, as manager Rob Thomson told MLB.com’s Paul Casella and other reporters.  “He’s going to probably give us the most length if we get into an extra-inning game….so I just wanted as much length as we could get,” Thomson said.  Utilityman Weston Wilson also got the Phils’ last bench spot, as Casella observes that Wilson brings more positional versatility than outfielder Cal Stevenson.
• The Yankees went heavier on position players (15) than pitchers (11) for their ALDS roster against the Royals.  Anthony Rizzo is missing the series due to two broken fingers and DJ LeMahieu wasn’t yet activated from the injured list, but New York still has plenty of room on its bench, including pinch-running specialist Duke Ellis.  The Yankees appear to be loading up on bats to take on the Royals’ tough rotation and more porous bullpen, which left right-hander Marcus Stroman off the ALDS roster as the odd man out of the starting staff.
• The Tigers made just one change from their Wild Card Series roster, as rookie righty Keider Montero has been included in place of Casey Mize.  Montero posted a 4.76 ERA over 98 1/3 innings in his first Major League season, starting 16 of 19 games.  This doesn’t necessarily mean Montero will start against the Guardians in the ALDS, however, as Detroit’s pitching staff (apart from ace Tarik Skubal) is very malleable in terms of specific roles.

Ahmed, 34, was a second-round pick by the Braves back in 2011 but spent his entire big league career as a member of the Diamondbacks until this year. Ahmed spent parts of ten seasons in the desert, slashing a relatively lackluster .234/.288/.376 (73 wRC+) during that time. He still proved to be an incredibly valuable asset to the Snakes thanks to his elite glovework at shortstop, however, as evidenced by his +80 Defensive Runs Saved and +110 Outs Above Average at the position during his time with Arizona.

While he battled injuries throughout his time with the club that kept him from starting even 100 games more than four times, Ahmed nonetheless took home two Gold Glove awards and was among the better all-around shortstops in the game from 2018 to 2019 as he posted an 88 wRC+ and 7.4 fWAR in 311 games during that two-year stretch. Unfortunately, things took a turn for the worse starting in 2021, as he Ahmed would appear in just 218 games over the next three years while slashing a paltry .219/.272/.336 at the plate while his defense regressed in the field. Between Ahmed’s steady decline and the emergence of Geraldo Perdomo in Arizona, Ahmed headed into free agency following the 2023 season in search of a new home.

In doing so, he’s coincidentally begun something of a tour of the other clubs in the AL West. Ahmed started the 2024 campaign with the Giants after signing with the club on a minor league deal over the offseason. He appeared in 52 games with the club but slashed just .232/.278/.303 in that time before being released back in July when San Francisco decided to turn towards Tyler Fitzgerald at shortstop down the stretch. It wasn’t long before Ahmed found a new team, however, and he signed a big league deal with the Dodgers shortly before the trade deadline to offer the club some depth at shortstop amid injuries to Mookie Betts and Miguel Rojas. Ahmed remained with the club for just under a month, hitting .229/.245/.292 in 17 games before eventually being designated for assignment and electing free agency.

After signing a minor league deal with the Padres just prior to the deadline for postseason eligibility on September 1, Ahmed is now set to join his third NL West club of the season and fourth of his career. With shortstop Ha-Seong Kim currently on the IL due inflammation in his right shoulder and no return in sight, Ahmed can provide the club with additional depth at shortstop behind Xander Bogaerts as the club gears up for the playoffs. Bogaerts was moved off shortstop over the offseason due to Kim’s status as a superior defender and struggled badly early in the year, but since returning from the injured list in mid-July has turned things around with a solid .296/.338/.436 slash line over his last 58 games.

While the club’s infield currently appears to be full with some combination of Luis Arraez, Donovan Solano, and Jake Cronenworth handling first base, second base, and DH on most days, Ahmed could push Bogaerts to second base on occasion against left-handed pitching to give Cronenworth or Arraez a day off in a tough match-up or late in games as a defensive replacement. Ahmed joins Tyler Wade, David Peralta, and Elias Diaz among the likely bench options for the club headed into the postseason.

As for Brito, the right-hander last appeared in a game at the major or minor league level over a month ago, so it’s hardly a surprise that he’s been nursing an injury. The righty’s first season with the Padres comes to a close with a 4.12 ERA and 3.72 FIP in 43 2/3 innings of work as an optionable multi-inning relief option for the club out of the bullpen, and the 26-year-old appears likely to enter 2025 poised to fill a similar role with the club going forward.

After spending his first 10 Major League seasons with the Diamondbacks, Ahmed has spent his 11th season as a member of three other NL West teams.  After the D’Backs released Ahmed last September, he caught on with the Giants on a minors contract, and played in 52 big league games before San Francisco designated Ahmed for assignment and released him in July.  Ahmed then signed a guaranteed contract with the Dodgers but was again DFA’ed a couple of weeks ago, and he chose free agency rather than an outright assignment to Triple-A.

The 34-year-old now stays in California and joins a Padres team that is missing its starting shortstop.  Ha-Seong Kim has been on the injured list since August 19 due to shoulder inflammation, and manager Mike Shildt told MLB.com and other reporters that Kim hasn’t yet been cleared to throw across the diamond.  Kim has been working out and taking part in other baseball activities at the Padres’ Spring Training complex, so he is at least making some progress even if the throws remain a question mark.

Mason McCoy and Tyler Wade have been handling the shortstop duties while Kim has been sidelined, and signing Ahmed gives the Padres more depth at the position.  Ahmed has never been a plus hitter and his offense has particularly cratered over the last two seasons, including his .232/.271/.300 slash line over 221 plate appearances this season.  But, the two-time Gold Glove winner is still a strong defender, and San Diego could at least aim to shore up the infield defense while Kim is still on the mend.

The timing of Ahmed’s signing is noteworthy, as his MLB.com profile page reveals that he inked his deal on August 31 instead of today.  This means that Ahmed is eligible to be part of a postseason roster should San Diego reach the playoffs.

Ahmed signed with the Dodgers a month ago. With Mookie Betts and Miguel Rojas out at the time, Los Angeles added Ahmed directly onto the major league roster. The defensive stalwart started 14 games at shortstop. He continued to provide defensive value but didn’t produce much offensively. While Ahmed hit a go-ahead home run to help beat the Giants (his former team) early in his Dodger tenure, he ultimately hit just .229/.245/.292 in 49 trips to the plate.

Between San Francisco and L.A., Ahmed carries a .232/.271/.300 batting line through 221 plate appearances. While he has never been a huge offensive threat, Ahmed has particularly struggled at the dish over the last two seasons. The two-time Gold Glove winner remains a strong defender, but the lack of firepower at the plate has squeezed him off a trio of rosters within the past two seasons. The Dodgers have welcomed Betts and Rojas back in recent weeks. Even with Betts returning to the outfield, they were comfortable enough with their infield depth to waive deadline pickup Amed Rosario after five games.

Ahmed is now free to look for a third team of the ’24 season. If he signs elsewhere before September 1, he’d be eligible for postseason play with another club.

Ahmed signed with the Dodgers a month ago. With Mookie Betts and Miguel Rojas out at the time, Los Angeles added Ahmed directly onto the major league roster. The defensive stalwart started 14 games at shortstop. He continued to provide defensive value but didn’t produce much offensively. While Ahmed hit a go-ahead home run to help beat the Giants (his former team) early in his Dodger tenure, he ultimately hit just .229/.245/.292 in 49 trips to the plate.

Between San Francisco and L.A., Ahmed carries a .232/.271/.300 batting line through 221 plate appearances. While he has never been a huge offensive threat, Ahmed has particularly struggled at the dish over the last two seasons. The two-time Gold Glove winner remains a strong defender, but the lack of firepower at the plate has squeezed him off a trio of rosters within the past two seasons. The Dodgers have welcomed Betts and Rojas back in recent weeks. Even with Betts returning to the outfield, they were comfortable enough with their infield depth to waive deadline pickup Amed Rosario after five games.

Los Angeles now adds two more infield-capable players in Muncy and Edman. The former should return to his everyday work at third base, moving Enrique Hernández back into a utility role. Muncy has been out for three months after suffering an oblique strain that proved more significant than the team initially expected. The power-hitting infielder was out to a .223/.323/.475 start to the season.

Edman is a versatile defender who can play essentially anywhere aside from catcher. He has spent the entire 2024 campaign on the injured list. Edman underwent postseason surgery on his right wrist while he was a member of the Cardinals. St. Louis hoped he’d be ready around Opening Day, yet a much slower recovery process kept him from even going on a rehab assignment until mid-July. The Dodgers nevertheless acquired Edman alongside Michael Kopech in a three-team trade that was one of the biggest moves of deadline season. St. Louis landed Erick Fedde and Tommy Pham from Chicago, who centered their return around Miguel Vargas from Los Angeles.

The Stanford product is now set for his Dodger debut. Manager Dave Roberts told reporters last week that Edman will get the bulk of his work in center field (X link via Fabian Ardaya of the Athletic). A middle infielder by trade, Edman had never started a major league game in center until last season. The Cards gave him 310 2/3 innings there and were rewarded with strong defensive grades — which has been a theme for Edman no matter where he’s played — in that relatively limited sample.

Plugging Edman into the outfield squeezes Pages off the MLB roster for now. The 23-year-old has had a decent if unexceptional rookie season, hitting .246/.305/.388 across 394 trips to the plate. Kevin Kiermaier should move into a fourth outfield capacity while Pages gets everyday playing time for a couple weeks in OKC. Reporter Francys Romero tweets that the Dodgers are likely to recall the Cuban-born outfielder once active rosters expand to 28 players on September 1.

Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times first observed that Pages and Ahmed were being sent out.

Ahmed continues his tour of the National League West. The longtime Diamondback signed a minor league deal with the Giants over the winter. He made the Opening Day roster and appeared in 52 games with San Francisco. Ahmed struggled to a .232/.278/.303 batting line over 172 trips to the plate and was released two weeks ago. He lingered on the open market before landing an immediate big league opportunity because of the Dodgers’ injury situation in the middle infield. Ahmed will only make the prorated portion of the MLB minimum salary for whatever time he spends on the L.A. roster. The Giants are still on the hook for the rest of his salary.

Los Angeles has been without Mookie Betts for more than five weeks. Betts was amidst another MVP-caliber season in his first year as an everyday shortstop before he broke his hand on a hit-by-pitch. That pushed Rojas from a glove-first utility role back into regular work at shortstop. He hasn’t provided much offensively, hitting .241/.282/.329 across 86 trips to the plate since the Betts injury. The Dodgers were mostly hoping he’d keep things afloat on defense, and Rojas has indeed posted above-average marks with the glove.

The Dodgers will rely on Ahmed to play a similar role. Rojas went down over the weekend with forearm tightness and hasn’t played since Sunday. Los Angeles was using Enrique Hernández as their fill-in shortstop, but he’s better suited for work at second or third base and around the outfield. While the Dodgers won’t expect much at the plate from Ahmed, he’s a two-time Gold Glove winner who remains a solid or better defensive shortstop.

Ahmed figures to play everyday until Rojas or Betts comes back. He starts tonight against his old Giants teammates and will take on Robbie Ray in the lefty’s season debut, tweets Juan Toribio of MLB.com. The Dodgers could theoretically look for middle infield help before next Tuesday’s deadline, although that hasn’t seemed to be a priority thus far. Betts is expected back sometime next month and should take shortstop back over headed into the postseason. The Dodgers seem more concerned with landing impact talent who could aid them in October rather than expending prospect capital for lower-ceiling players to bridge the gap in the regular season.

The Dodgers have a full 40-man roster, but they’re reportedly going to designate right-hander Ricky Vanasco for assignment. That was expected to be the corresponding move for Clayton Kershaw returning from the 60-day injured list tomorrow. The Dodgers could DFA Vanasco today and clear space for Kershaw tomorrow. Righty Kyle Hurt is undergoing Tommy John surgery and could be transferred to the 60-day injured list if the Dodgers don’t want to expose anyone to waivers.

Coming into 2024, San Francisco seemed committed to moving on from the Brandon Crawford era, something the longtime Giant discussed back in March. The plan was to give more playing time to younger options like Marco Luciano and Casey Schmitt, but Ahmed was brought in as a veteran fallback plan and eventually won the job out of camp.

Ahmed has long served as a glove-first shortstop in the big leagues, but his subpar offense dropped even lower last year. The Giants were surely hoping for a bit of a bounceback this year but didn’t quite get it.

He had hit .241/.299/.401 from 2018 to 2022, with that production translating to an 83 wRC+. But that dropped to a line of .212/.257/.303 and a 51 wRC+ last year. It has climbed a bit here in 2024 but only slightly, as he hit .232/.278/.303 for a wRC+ of 68 prior to being designated for assignment.

On top of that, his elite defense has been declining as well. From 2015 to 2021, he racked up 81 Defensive Runs Saved, second only to the now-retired Andrelton Simmons at shortstop. His 102 Outs Above Average in that time frame tied Francisco Lindor for the best in baseball, though Ahmed accumulated that total in far fewer innings than Lindor.

But DRS has him closer to league average over the past three years, with a total of -1 here in 2024. OAA still likes him quite a bit, with a tally of +4 this season, but that’s still a drop from his previous levels.

Given those trends, the Giants decided to move on. Luciano and Schmitt still working on things in Triple-A but the club is rolling with Brett Wisely and Tyler Fitzgerald at shortstop for now. Ahmed has more than enough service time to reject an outright assignment while retaining his salary, which the Associated Press lists as $1.5MM, a bit north of this year’s $740K league minimum. The Giants skipped over that formality by releasing Ahmed.

The Giants will now remain on the hook for that salary while any club could sign Ahmed and only have to pay him the prorated version of that league minimum for any time spent on the roster, with that amount subtracted from what the Giants pay. His declining results will likely limit him to minor league deals but he’s still a fairly capable defender and clubs like the Dodgers, Tigers, Braves, Guardians and Red Sox have some uncertainty at shortstop.

Ahmed signed with San Francisco on a minor league deal early in Spring Training. The longtime Diamondback essentially took over for Brandon Crawford as a glove-first veteran shortstop. Ahmed hit well during exhibition play and made the roster, locking in a reported $1.5MM base salary in the process. He picked up the Opening Day nod at shortstop — the first time a player other than Crawford got that honor since Miguel Tejada back in 2011 — and went on to start 50 games overall.

As is typically the case with Ahmed, virtually all of his contributions came on defense. Statcast credited him as four runs better than average across 426 innings. Defensive Runs Saved was less bullish, grading him one run below par. He hit in the bottom third of the batting order and ran a .232/.278/.303 slash line with one homer over 172 plate appearances.

Ahmed is a two-time Gold Glove winner who has been one of the sport’s preeminent defensive shortstops throughout his career. While he’s still a good defender, his numbers have taken a step back from elite levels as he has gotten into his mid 30s. Ahmed has never been much of an offensive threat and has particularly struggled over the past few seasons. Since the start of the 2021 campaign, he owns a .222/.273/.330 line in a little more than 900 trips.

Estrada’s return from the IL will likely push Brett Wisely from second base to shortstop, at least against right-handed pitching. Righty hitting Tyler Fitzgerald is in the lineup tonight against Toronto southpaw Yusei Kikuchi. While the 25-year-old Wisely is stretched defensively at shortstop, he provides a higher offensive ceiling than Ahmed brought. Wisely owns a decent .278/.313/.421 slash through 135 plate appearances in his second MLB campaign.

The Giants have five days to trade Ahmed or place him on waivers. He has well over five years of MLB service time and would retain his entire salary if he clears waivers and becomes a free agent. A release is the likeliest outcome. Once Ahmed clears waivers, he could sign with another team for the prorated portion of the $740K minimum.

Meanwhile, Snell returns for his first MLB action in nearly six weeks. San Francisco’s late signing could hardly have gone worse to this point. Snell has battled groin issues throughout the year and been limited to six starts. Opponents have teed off on the defending NL Cy Young winner for a 9.51 earned run average through 23 2/3 innings. Snell will try to get his season on track when he takes on the Blue Jays this evening.

8:29AM: The Giants placed shortstop Nick Ahmed on the 10-day injured list yesterday, as Ahmed is dealing with a sprain in his left wrist.  The injury has been bothering the infielder “for a while now,” as Ahmed told MLB.com and other media on Thursday, when he had to make an early exit from San Francisco’s game with Colorado.

“I got a bunch of treatment and stuff before the game and it was OK going into the game,” Ahmed said.  “And then on the first swing of the game, I just kind of aggravated it. It was hampering my ability to play defense, too. It was probably going to do our team more harm than good if I stayed out there.”

The issue seems relatively minor enough that Ahmed isn’t expected to miss too much time beyond the 10-day minimum, with the caveat that wrist-related injuries can sometimes linger (as was the case for Ahmed even prior to Thursday’s game).  Of course, even 10 days is a significant amount of time for a club to be without its starting shortstop.  After signing a minor league contract with San Francisco during the offseason, Ahmed has started 35 of the Giants’ 40 games, delivering his usual combination of strong defense and uninspiring offense.  Ahmed has hit only .236/.274/.291 over his first 119 plate appearances, translating to a 66 wRC+.

This lack of pop has led some Giants fans to wonder why top prospect Marco Luciano hasn’t yet been given a longer look at the MLB level, though Luciano didn’t help his case with a lackluster Spring Training.  Luciano made his big league debut with 14 games and 45 PA last season, and thus far has hit .273/.403/.355 over 149 Triple-A plate appearances in 2024.  The OBP and a big increase his Luciano’s walk rate are nice signs of progress, though he has only slightly reduced his high strikeout rate, and has shown very little power even in the hitter-friendly environment of the Pacific Coast League.

Luciano might not be too far away from another call-up, however, even though fellow infielder Casey Schmitt got the call Friday to replace Ahmed on the active roster.  Manager Bob Melvin implied to reporters (including the San Francisco Chronicle’s Susan Slusser) that Schmitt may have gotten the nod because the Giants were facing left-handed starters on Friday and Saturday.  Though Luciano and Schmitt are both right-handed batters, Schmitt has better numbers against lefties at Triple-A this season.

In general, the team is open to all options with Ahmed out, as Melvin admitted “I’m not sure what [the shortstop position is] going to look like here every day.”  Utilityman Tyler Fitzgerald is the only other player besides Ahmed and Schmitt to see any time at shortstop this season, and Fitzgerald has hit a solid .273/.319/.455 in 47 PA while bouncing all over the diamond.  The Giants may prefer to to keep Fitzgerald available to chip in at multiple positions rather than make him a regular shortstop with Ahmed out, which could open the door for Schmitt to get more work, or for Luciano to perhaps enter the picture.

Elsewhere on the injury front, today marks Patrick Bailey’s seventh day on the seven-day concussion-related IL, and the Giants are hoping he can be cleared prior to today’s game with the Reds.  Bailey took a foul ball off the mask on May 3, but has resumed baseball activities, including catching Blake Snell’s bullpen session on Friday.  Slusser writes that Bailey will be taking the precaution of wearing a new style of mask, with some extra padding involved and a design similar to a hockey goalie’s mask.

Getting their regular catcher back is a nice win for the Giants, yet another position player might be taking Bailey’s spot on the concussion IL.  Austin Slater collided with the wall while trying to make a catch in the first inning of yesterday’s game, and was replaced by a pinch-hitter before his first at-bat.

Melvin told reporters postgame that Slater was quite possibly headed to the IL, which is the latest setback in what has been a rough start to the season for the outfielder.  Slater has hit only .128/.306/.128 in 49 PA while serving in his usual capacity as a platooner against left-handed pitching, a far cry from his career .278/.370/.447 slash line against southpaws.  It could be just a small sample size issue to date, though Slater’s primary concern now is just getting healthy.

Luciano, 22, is widely considered to be among the game’s top 100 prospects. He made a brief MLB debut last year and was in competition for the Opening Day roster nod throughout the entirety of camp, but the Giants will defer to the veteran Ahmed as their Opening Day shortstop.

Luciano heated up toward the end of camp, perhaps making the decision a bit tougher, but he finished with a .227/.364/.432 slash and a 34.5% strikeout rate in 55 plate appearances. Those strikeout troubles have been an issue for some time; Luciano fanned in 29.8% of his Double-A plate appearances last year and 35.9% of his Triple-A plate appearances. He’ll head back to the upper minors to continue to work on that area of his game.

In his place, the Giants will turn to longtime division foe Ahmed, who’s spent his entire 10-year career with the Diamondbacks. Ahmed, who’s won a pair of Gold Gloves in his career, has always been a defensive-minded shortstop. He’s long ranked as one of the premium defenders in the game, regardless of position. However, his already modest offensive production has taken a stark downturn over the past two seasons due to a shoulder injury that eventually required surgery.

Ahmed has looked sharp this spring, however, turning in a .355/.459/.645 slash with a pair of homers in a small sample of 37 plate appearances. The Giants bid adieu to their own longtime premier defensive shortstop, Brandon Crawford, this offseason. (Were it not for Crawford, Ahmed may have a few more Gold Gloves on his mantle.) Ahmed will bring a similar skill set to the table, though he’s three years younger. And, since he doesn’t have such a storied history with the franchise, it’ll be easier to cut him loose or significantly reduce his playing time if he struggles and/or if Luciano forces the issue with a big Triple-A performance.

Roupp, 25, was San Francisco’s 12th-round pick in the 2021 draft. He posted a 1.74 ERA and fanned more than a third of his opponents in 31 Double-A frames last season and will jump straight from that level to the big leagues. He earned that promotion with a huge spring showing, holding opponents to a pair of runs on two hits and four walks with 13 punchouts in eight innings.

Hummel, 29, is a career .166/.264/.286 hitter in 227 plate appearances at the big league level. He carries a far more impressive Triple-A track record, including a .262/.409/.435 batting line and a massive 18% walk rate there last year. He bounced from the Mariners, to the Mets, to the Giants via the DFA circuit this winter. Hummel still has a minor league option remaining, and the Giants will have a week to trade him or attempt to pass him through outright waivers.

Sandoval, 37, singled in his final at-bat of Giants spring training earlier this week. That game was played at Oracle Park, giving “Kung Fu Panda” the opportunity to suit up (at least) one more time in front of the Giants fans who revered him for his peak run as a middle-of-the-order slugger for the Giants even-year dynasty that saw them bring home World Series titles in 2010, 2012 and 2014. An emotional Sandoval said after the game what a special experience it was to take the field and be embraced by the San Francisco faithful one more time. Whether he continues his playing career remains to be seen, but if not, it was a fitting sendoff to a beloved member of the franchise who’ll long be remembered as a fan favorite.

Ahmed, 34 later this week, spent the past ten seasons in Arizona as a regular fixture at shortstop, earning back-to-back Gold Glove awards for his superlative defense in 2018 and 2019. He’s struggled to stay on the field in recent years, drawing just 264 trips to the plate between the past two seasons, and in that time slashed a paltry .216/.258/.332. Rough as his last two seasons were, Ahmed’s non-roster deal with the Giants came with the opportunity to earn a regular role in San Francisco, and the veteran has made the most of that opportunity by slashing an incredible .556/.667/1.222 in his 12 trips to the plate this spring without recording a strikeout across his four appearances.

Luciano, by contrast, has hit a paltry .071/.188/.071 in six games this spring, striking out in 56.3% of his plate appearances without recording an extra-base hit. While numbers during Spring Training must be taken with a grain of salt for a number of reasons and it’s worth noting that Luciano was slowed by a hamstring issue early in camp, it would nonetheless be understandable if the Giants felt that Luciano’s weak results this spring indicated that the 22-year-old needs more development time at the Triple-A level. Luciano made his big league debut with San Francisco last year but struggled at the plate in his cup of coffee, hitting just .231/.333/.308 with a 37.8% strikeout rate in 45 trips to the plate.

More from around the NL West…

• Padres star Manny Machado is a “pretty safe” bet to be limited to DH duties during the Korea Series in Seoul later this month, manager Mike Shildt recently told reporters (including Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune). Machado underwent elbow surgery back in October and is coming off a relative down season by his standards, having slashed “just” .258/.319/.462 with a wRC+ of 114, a step down from the 140 wRC+ he posted across the previous three seasons. With Machado likely restricted to DH at-bats to open the season, the Padres appear likely to rely on a utility fielder like Matthew Batten or Eguy Rosario at the hot corner to open the season.
• Sticking with the Padres, Acee also reports that right-hander Glenn Otto, who the club claimed off waivers from the Rangers back in September, came out of the offseason likely to compete for a spot in the club’s rotation this spring but has been sidelined during camp by a teres major strain. Acee notes that he’s “progressing” toward a return to the mound but does not elaborate on what the righty’s timetable for return is. Otto, who will celebrate his 28th birthday tomorrow, was a fixture of the Rangers rotation back in 2022 with a 4.64 ERA in 27 starts but has generally struggled in the majors with a career 5.62 ERA and a walk rate north of 10%.
• While Dodgers right-hander Blake Treinen left yesterday’s game after being struck in the torso by a comebacker, manager Dave Roberts told reporters (including ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez) that the veteran had avoided a major injury from the incident. Treinen was diagnosed with a bruised lung, which Roberts added should be healed within three to five days. That leaves Treinen likely to be available for Opening Day as a veteran option for the L.A. bullpen alongside the likes of Ryan Brasier and Daniel Hudson. Treinen has spent almost all of the past two seasons on the sidelines but owns a career 2.86 ERA and posted a 1.99 figure as recently as the 2021 season.
• Sticking with the Dodgers, The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya notes that right-hander Brusdar Graterol will not be joining the Dodgers for the Korea Series in Seoul later this month, as he’s been sidelined much of the spring by hip tightness and shoulder soreness, though Graterol downplayed the latter issue to reporters recently. Graterol added in conversation with reporters (including Ardaya) that he figures to resume throwing on Tuesday and hopes to be ready to join the Dodgers in time for their stateside opener against the Cardinals on March 28. Graterol was one of the club’s most effective relievers last season, pitching to a sensational 1.20 ERA in 68 appearances.

Davis, 31 next month, is set to hit free agency after the 2024 campaign and seems unlikely to find a regular role in San Francisco this season with Soler at DH, Chapman at the hot corner, and LaMonte Wade Jr. and Wilmer Flores expected to handle first base. That reality could spur the Giants to make a trade in the near future, per Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area. The veteran infielder hit a roughly league average .248/.325/.413 in 144 games with the Giants last year, but had established himself as a well-above average bat in the four years prior to the 2023 campaign, slashing .276/.363/.457 with a 127 wRC+ during that time. That upside could make Davis an attractive target for a team lacking in certainty at the infield corners, such as the Cubs, Mariners, or Brewers, potentially allowing the club to shed his $6.9MM salary and free up additional payroll space for a possible pursuit of southpaw Blake Snell.

For Davis’s part, he told reporters (including Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle) that the club’s decision to sign Chapman was “definitely surprising,” adding that he hadn’t communicated with the front office regarding the decision of his future to this point before referencing the club’s handling of veteran shortstop Brandon Crawford during his final year with the club and free agency this winter.

“I didn’t get a phone call, Brandon Crawford didn’t get a phone call,” Davis said, as relayed by Rubin. “It is what it is. It’s part of the business. I know every management is different in how they handle things and that’s just one of the characteristics you just have to live with.”

More from around San Francisco…

• While Crawford recently expressed disappointment regarding how his tenure in San Francisco ended, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle writes that no such acrimony exists between the club and slugger Joc Pederson, who departed the club to sign with the Diamondbacks earlier this winter. While Pederson told Slusser that he retains a strong relationship with both president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi and that the Giants even made him an offer this winter, though he added that Arizona “expressed more interest” and presented him with a stronger offer. Pederson spent the past two seasons playing for San Francisco, slashing a strong .255/.351/.470 in 255 games with the club across the two campaigns.
• Shortstop Nick Ahmed recently spoke to reported, including The Athletic’s Andrew Baggarly, regarding his decision to sign with the Giants on a non-roster deal this spring. The two-time Gold Glove award winner had spent parts of ten seasons with the Diamondbacks prior to becoming a free agent for the first time in his career back in September, and the soon to be 34-year-old veteran indicated that while he had some conversations with the Cardinals this winter before they signed Crawford to a one-year deal last month. With that being said, Ahmed indicated that he was enticed to sign in San Francisco when Zaidi and manager Bob Melvin indicated to him that he would have the opportunity the everyday job at shortstop with the club this spring. A career .234/.288/.376 hitter, Ahmed has made up for a lack of offensive production throughout his career with elite defensive numbers and figures to battle with youngsters Marco Luciano and Casey Schmitt for the shortstop job throughout the final month of Spring Training.

San Francisco has reportedly been mulling a variety of veteran options at shortstop. Ahmed will add a glove-first option to their spring group. He’ll compete with prospect Marco Luciano, 25-year-old Casey Schmitt and 26-year-old Tyler Fitzgerald for playing time at that position. Ahmed was recently linked to the Cardinals as well, where he’d also have been competing with a young prospect (Masyn Winn) for playing time, and the Marlins before that. It’s not clear whether St. Louis or Miami ever made an offer, but that’s largely moot now that Ahmed has signed on with the Giants.

The past two seasons have been a struggle for Ahmed, a two-time Gold Glove winner at shortstop. Shoulder surgery in 2022 limited him to just 17 games, and his already modest offensive production cratered upon returning in 2023. Ahmed hit just .212/.257/.303 last year, losing playing time to Geraldo Perdomo. In September, the Diamondbacks designated Ahmed for assignment and released him. It was an unceremonious end to a 10-season tenure as Arizona’s primary shortstop, but the veteran’s dwindling role and production prompted the organization to move on.

In the five seasons prior to his shoulder surgery, Ahmed had still been below-average at the plate, but not nearly to the extent he was in ’23. From 2017-21, Ahmed tallied 2057 plate appearances and batted .242/.300/.402 (83  wRC+). As is to be expected from a right-handed hitter, he’s been far better against lefties in his career, slashing .257/.309/.430 (93 wRC+).

Ahmed offsets his lackluster offensive output by playing defense as well as virtually any player in the sport. From ’17-’21, Ahmed’s 58 Defensive Runs Saved ranked fifth among all big leaguers, regardless of position. His 87 Outs Above Average, per Statcast, tied him with Francisco Lindor for the most of any player — shortstop or otherwise — in the big leagues.

Whether Ahmed can return to those heights in the field remains to be seen, though last year’s showing in a small sample was promising. He only logged 488 innings in the field but still tallied 1 DRS, 6 OAA and a 1.6 Ultimate Zone Rating. The typically surehanded Ahmed did make an uncharacteristic eight errors in that small sample, but his range remained excellent.

Ahmed will have some youthful competition as he looks to grab a roster spot. The 22-year-old Luciano currently ranks 56th on Baseball America’s Top 100 list. He didn’t hit much in a tiny sample of 45 plate appearances during last summer’s MLB debut, however, and also struggled in Triple-A following a promotion from Double-A (where he’d struck out in 29.8% of his plate appearances). Questions about his glovework and contact profile could lead Luciano to Triple-A to begin the season.

Both Schmitt and Fitzgerald made their MLB debuts last season as well. Schmitt is a plus defender at multiple infield positions but hit just .206/.255/.324 in 277 trips to the plate during last year’s debut effort. His .300/.346/.435 slash in Triple-A was a far sight better, but he’s not yet proven himself against MLB pitching. Fitzgerald didn’t play shortstop at all in the majors last season, but that’s been his primary spot in the minors. He went just 7-for-32 in 34 MLB plate appearances but connected on a pair of homers and doubles alike. Fitzgerald popped 20 homers and swiped 29 bags in Triple-A, but scouts see him as more of a utilityman than an everyday option at shortstop, in part for defensive reasons.

That the club is looking for shortstop help is perfectly logical, as their internal options are not great. Joey Wendle got most of the playing time there last year, but he reached free agency and signed with the Mets this offseason. They still have Jon Berti, but he’s now 34 years old and best suited to a utility role. Jacob Amaya is a glove-first guy who still has an option and can be kept in the minors for regular at-bats. Xavier Edwards only played four games at short in the minors last year, spending far more time at second, third and center field. Like Amaya, he’s also optionable. Vidal Bruján has always hit well in the minors but just .157/.218/.221 in the majors. He’s out of options but probably shouldn’t be the club’s Plan A at such an important position.

But now we’re just about a week away from pitchers and catchers reporting to Spring Training with the position still looking like an area of the roster that obviously needs work. Part of that seems to be due to new president of baseball operations Peter Bendix taking his time in getting to know the organization. The club still hasn’t signed a free agent to a major league deal this winter, regardless of position, with their offseason work limited to a few small trades and minor league deals.

The lack of activity might also be attributed to the weak free agent class at the position. While past winters have featured superstar free agents like Corey Seager, Trea Turner, Dansby Swanson, Xander Bogaerts, Carlos Correa and others, the top names for the current offseason were those mentioned at the top of this post.

Anderson and Rosario are both coming off down years, with their respective markets surely impacted. Anderson hit just .245/.286/.296 on the year for a wRC+ of 60, the worst such mark of any qualified hitter last year. Rosario’s .263/.305/.378 line wasn’t quite as bad, 88 wRC+, but still well below league average. Both of them also saw their defensive metrics slide a bit, with Rosario largely kept at second base by the Dodgers after a deadline trade. Anderson, meanwhile, expressed a willingness to move across the bag if that’s necessary for his next club.

Both players could point to better results in previous seasons. Anderson hit .318/.347/.473 from 2019 to 2022 for a wRC+ of 123, with better defensive marks as well. Rosario’s slash for that same four-year period was .282/.315/.412, translating to a wRC+ of 101. If the Marlins were looking for reasons to expect a bounceback, perhaps Anderson’s knee injury could give them some hope. He went on the injured list in the second week of April due to a left knee sprain and perhaps was never himself, despite returning from the IL after only about three weeks. Last year’s 27.2 mph sprint speed was a big drop from 2022’s 28.3 mph, moving him from the 77th to the 45th percentile in the league. Rosario wouldn’t have any excuse like that, not going on the IL all year, but he did deal with some back soreness and knee soreness during the season and his offensive drop wasn’t nearly as steep.

Ahmed would be a different type of pursuit as he’s an excellent defender but has never really been a threat at the plate. He has 80 Defensive Runs Saved and 111 Outs Above Average in his career, but he’s hit just .234/.288/.376 for a wRC+ of 73. That was already subpar offensive production but his work at the plate slipped even farther in 2023, as he hit .212/.257/.303 and was released by the Diamondbacks in September.

If the Marlins decide that any of these players are worth a flier, they should be able to get something done. None of them should be able to command a massive deal, given their weak platform seasons. The fact that they remain unsigned this close to Spring Training probably doesn’t give them much leverage either. The club’s quiet offseason has left them with a projected payroll of $97MM, per Roster Resource, a decent drop from last year’s $110MM figure.

Rosario reportedly received interest from the Red Sox and Blue Jays this winter, though that was before the Sox added Vaughn Grissom and the Jays added Justin Turner. Anderson has been connected to the Angels while Ahmed’s market has been fairly quiet since his release.