MLB Player News

Ahmed (knee) isn't in the lineup for Friday's spring game against the Angels.

The 30-year-old has been sidelined by a knee injury this week and was expected to rejoin the lineup Friday, but he won't be in the starting nine. Ahmed could still make an appearance off the bench, but the Diamondbacks could just be delaying his return by a day or two. Josh Rojas will continue to work as the team's top shortstop in the meantime.

Ahmed (knee) is likely to return to action Friday following Thursday's off-day, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

Ahmed missed a third straight game Wednesday and will get the benefit of a fourth day when Arizona is off. Josh Rojas started at shortstop Wednesday, the second time in three games he's replaced Ahmed in the lineup.

Ahmed (knee) was unavailable for Tuesday's spring game against the Rockies, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports.

Ahmed missed his second consecutive game due to the injury. While Ahmed rehabs, Josh Rojas (on Monday) and Domingo Leyba (Tuesday) are filling in at shortstop.

Lindor and the Mets will begin discussions on a contract extension this week, Anthony Rieber and Tim Healey of Newsday report.

The shortstop, who picked up his first hit of the spring Monday, will become a free agent next offseason and has said he doesn't want contract talks to linger into the regular season, so the clock is ticking. Lindor could end up getting a deal in excess of $300 million, following in the wake of mega-deals signed by Manny Machado, Mookie Betts and Fernando Tatis in recent years, and new team owner Steve Cohen hasn't shown any qualms about opening up his wallet. Chances seem good Lindor's stint with the Mets will last longer than just the current campaign.

Baez went 2-for-3 with a grand slam in Monday's Cactus League game against the Rangers.

Baez hit his first home run of the spring, and the 28-year-old is off to a hot start, posting a 1.128 OPS through five games. He had a down year in 2020, registering a .598 OPS that was his worst since his 2014 rookie campaign. However, Baez has the talent to be an obvious bounceback candidate in 2021, and his ADP could creep up if he keeps raking this spring.

Ahmed was scratched from the lineup for Monday's game against the Giants due to right knee soreness, Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic reports.

The issue doesn't appear to be a particularly serious one. Josh Rojas slid to shortstop in his absence and would likely spend time at that spot should Ahmed's injury linger into the regular season, but that seems unlikely at this point.

The Diamondbacks scratched Ahmed from their lineup for Monday's Cactus League game against the Giants due to a sore right knee, Zach Buchanan of The Athletic reports.

Manager Torey Lovullo labeled Ahmed as day-to-day, so the team doesn't appear to be too considered about the shortstop's knee injury. Due to his so-so plate skills and modest power and speed, Ahmed isn't an especially high-upside fantasy option, but his stable everyday role gives him some appeal in deeper mixed leagues and NL-only formats as a compiler.

Ahmed was scratched from the lineup for Monday's game against the Giants for undisclosed reasons.

It's not yet clear if Ahmed is dealing with an injury or if the Diamondbacks simply switched up their plans. If Ahmed does have an injury serious enough to cost him to miss time, Josh Rojas would likely be the next man up at shortstop.

Baez (forearm) is starting at shortstop and batting cleanup in Sunday's spring game against the Diamondbacks.

The 28-year-old suffered a forearm bruise after being hit by a pitch Friday, but he's back on the field Sunday after taking part in workouts Saturday. Barring a setback, the injury shouldn't affect Baez's availalbity for the start of the season.

Edman, who went 1-for-3 with a stolen base in a Grapefruit League loss to the Nationals on Friday, is hitting .429 (3-for-7) with a double over three spring games while filling the leadoff role in each contest.

Edman is clearly going to get a long look at filling the top-of-the-order role that his predecessor at second base, Kolten Wong, often operated out of with success during his Cardinals tenure. The versatile Edman's hot start at the plate, albeit over a small sample, is encouraging, considering he saw an offensive downturn in 2020 in the form of a .250/.317.368 slash after producing a much more impressive .304/.350/.500 line across his 349 major-league plate appearances in 2019.