MLB Player News

For the first time this season, Diamondbacks shortstop Nick Ahmed will bat in the leadoff spot for Thursday's game at Colorado, the team announed. 

Ahmed had been hitting eighth or ninth this season. He will go against Jorge De La Rosa, who he has never faced in his career. Over his last 12 games, Ahmed is hitting .333 with one home run and five RBI.

The Diamondbacks are the underdogs (+112) at Colorado on Thursday.

The Mets have begun discussions about shifting Ruben Tejada to shortstop and Wilmer Flores to second base once Daniel Murphy returns from the disabled list, a team source told the New York Post. Murphy is expected to play third base with David Wright sidelined.

“That would be the best defensive alignment,” the source said.

The Mets have been hesitant to move Flores because they don't want to break his confidence, according to the Post. However, the team believes he could handle the switch and move back to shortstop later in the season, if needed.

Mets manager Terry Collins ackowledged the report Thursday and said moving Flores to second base is "a possibility." 

"I don't think that's a major shakeup," Collins said, per NJ.com.

Tejada has been bouncing between second and third base while Murphy and Wright have been on the disabled list.

Diamondbacks shortstop Nick Ahmed went 1 for 4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's los to Colorado. 

Ahmed hit his first home run in June, snapping a 20-game drought. He reached four home runs and 15 RBI on the year. 

The Nationals are looking to bolster their infield by trading with the Diamondbacks, according to a report by Fox Sports' Jon Morosi.

The Nationals have reportedly expressed interest in the D-Backs' middle infield depth. 

Among the infielders vying for playing time in Arizona are Nick Ahmed, Aaron Hill, Chris Owings and Cliff Pennington. 

Owings (50 starts at second base) and Ahmed (53 at short) are the clearly defined starters for the Diamondabacks. 

At 33, Hill is the oldest of the four infielders. He's started 15 games at second and 19 at third, including starts at each position in the last week. 

Pennington has 10 starts at short, one at third and four at second. He's hitting just .192 this season. 

Braves infielder Pedro Ciriaco came through with the game's only run in Sunday's 1-0 win over the Mets. Ciriaco came off the bench in the seventh inning with a runner on second. 

The light-hitting Ciriaco blooped a single into center field, allowing the only run to cross the plate.

Despite getting limited playing time, Ciriaco has been invaluable for the Braves this year. He's hitting .474 (9 for 19) with six RBI through 10 games this month.

Mets infielder Ruben Tejada was not in Sunday's starting lineup due to an ankle problem, per Newsday.

"The one thing you have to be careful of playing a guy like that," Collins said, per MLB.com, "[is] if he hits the base wrong, or if something happens and you've got to take him out in the third inning or so, you're in big trouble."

Tejada started Saturday's game at shortstop and also played third base, where he had started the previous six games. 

Diamondbacks shortstop Nick Ahmed is not starting against the Dodgers on Saturday.

Ahmed has recorded consecutive multi-hit games before Saturday, hitting .571 with four hits and two RBI in his last two games.

Ruben Tejada is in the starting lineup at shortstop for the Mets on Saturday. 

Tejada gets his eighth start at the position this season and first since June 6. He's started the last six games at third base.

Tejada replaces Wilmer Flores at short. 

Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford is getting the night off for Thursday's game against the Mariners. 

Crawford had started in the past 12 games. With Crawford out of the lineup, Joaquin Arias will step in at shortstop and bat eighth. Crawford has a slash line of .277/.345/.472 this year. 

Diamondbacks shortstop Nick Ahmed enjoyed a solid outing at the plate in Thursday's loss to the Angels.

Ahmed went 2 for 3 with a double and a RBI, boosting his batting average to .320 with eight hits and two doubles in his last eight games.