Dodgers, hurting at shortstop, ink ex-Giant Ahmed

The Los Angeles Dodgers signed free agent shortstop Nick Ahmed on Wednesday, inserting him into the No. 9 spot of the lineup against his former employer, the San Francisco Giants.

Ahmed will serve as a replacement for Miguel Rojas, who was placed on the injured list with what has been diagnosed as a forearm strain. Rojas joined Mookie Betts (fractured left hand) on the IL, making the Dodgers appreciably light at shortstop outside of Enrique Hernandez, who has often been used in place of an injured Max Muncy at third base.

Rojas initially thought his sore forearm, which he believes was caused by swinging a heavier bat in one-handed drills during the All-Star break, wouldn’t require a stint on the IL. But a follow-up scan revealed a flexor strain.

“I don’t know the timetable,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “Some of it could be how he’s feeling. He’s gonna take a handful of days of non-baseball activity to let it subside and then get him back hopefully as soon as possible.”

Ahmed signed a minor league deal with the Giants over the offseason, then was released on July 10 after slashing .232/.278/.303 with one home run in 172 major league plate appearances. The 34-year-old spent the past two weeks at his home in Arizona working out and waiting for another opportunity.

“I had some phone calls with some teams,” Ahmed said, “but nothing materialized until last night.”

Originally a second-round pick by the Atlanta Braves in 2011, Ahmed has spent almost the entirety of his career with the Arizona Diamondbacks, slashing .234/.288/.376 with 70 home runs in 888 games from 2014 to 2023 but bringing value through his defense, which earned him two Gold Gloves. Notably, the D-backs released Ahmed with just three weeks remaining in the 2023 regular season, keeping him out of the team’s inspiring run to the World Series.

Ahmed’s stint with the Dodgers — which will begin with a matchup against his good friend, Giants starter Robbie Ray, who’s making his season debut Wednesday — could be short-lived.

“We didn’t talk too much about that,” Ahmed said. “Obviously things change all the time. I’m just here focusing one day at a time and trying to help us win games.”