Nick Ahmed vents frustration as 10-year Diamondbacks stint halts abruptly - "Ripping the band-aid off in 10 minutes"

After Wednesday's win over the Colorado Rockies, Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo announced that shortstop Nick Ahmed has been designated for assignment.

Notably, the only player on the roster for the entirety of Lovullo's tenure has been Ahmed, who has been with the D-backs since 2013, making his MLB debut with the team in 2014.

The Diamondbacks have taken a different tack and designated Ahmed for assignment during the closing stretch of their postseason drive in order to bring up Jordan Lawlar, who is widely considered to be the organization's top prospect.

An emotional Nick Ahmed on today's tough news: "Disappointed obviously. Spent a long time here ... 10 years and ripping a Band-Aid off in 10 minutes." - JesseNFriedman

Ahmed said that Lovullo and general manager Mike Hazen informed him after Arizona's 12-5 win over the Rockies, adding that he had not anticipated it:

“Just disappointed, obviously, I’ve spent a lot of time here. Gave it my all. …10 years and ripping the band-aid off in 10 minutes. …"

Nick Ahmed's baseball career

Ahmed was selected by the Atlanta Braves in the second round of the 2011 MLB Draft. Baseball America named him the league's fastest baserunner in 2012 while he was playing for the Lynchburg Hillcats in the minor leagues.

The first time he got called up to the major leagues was on June 29, 2014.

Although Nick Ahmed has never been a threat on offense, he was one of baseball's top defenders for a long period of time.

In fact, no one in MLB had more outs above average from 2015-19 than Ahmed, who had 76 of them. He also placed No. 5 in terms of defensive runs saved, with 73. Ahmed received two Gold Glove honors for his performances.

He played for the Diamondbacks in 129 games in 2021, compiling a slash line of .221/.280/.339 with five home runs, 38 RBIs, and seven stolen bases.

For Arizona in 2022, Ahmed appeared in 17 games while batting .231/.259/.442 with three home runs and seven RBIs.

Furthermore, Ahmed became the first player to ever play 10 seasons for the Diamondbacks in 2023.