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Diamondbacks shortstop Nick Ahmed has season-ending shoulder surgery

Derek Montilla

June 18, 2022

On Friday, Arizona Diamondbacks shortstop Nick Ahmed revealed that he will miss the remainder of the 2022 season. Ahmed underwent surgery on his right shoulder on Wednesday to remove bone spurs and debride soft tissue damage. The recovery period from the surgery is six months.

“I tried to push through it for as long as I could,” Ahmed said. “Eventually, it came to a point where it just was too painful — on the field, off the field — to continue trying to push through it. I had to think about my long-term health and take care of that and prioritize it.”

Ahmed originally injured the shoulder diving for a ball during summer camp before the 2020 season. He tried to avoid surgery through rehab but the discomfort has been too painful. His six-month timetable puts his recovery time at mid-December, so he will have a normal offseason to rebound from the surgery.

“It’s frustrating. You never like missing time, and knowing that I’m going to miss the rest of the season is tough,” he said. “Especially knowing the group of guys we have in here and knowing the possibility of us having a nice season and getting a chance to get in the playoffs. But I’m good. I’m moving forward. I can’t change it right now, and all I can do is attack the rehab the best way I know how.”

Nick Ahmed has been shut down for the season. #Dbacks pic.twitter.com/pUtWSwF2CW

— PHNX Diamondbacks (@PHNX_Dbacks) June 17, 2022

The surgery removed two bone spurs, cleaned up Ahmed’s bursa and repaired his labrum. The labrum repair was up in the air before the surgery but was necessary to alleviate pain that he was experiencing when throwing. Ahmed confirmed that he will be ready for spring training.

“My conversation was that we were just walking through the process for him and what the next several months look like,” manager Torey Lovullo said. “Bottom line is he’s going to be healthy for spring training. And good health is always what everybody’s hoping for as an athlete, and I’m no different. I just want these guys to be healthy so they go out there and perform, and I know he’s been just grinding for a long time with the pain in his right shoulder. So now that that’s gone, he can continue to move on and press forward.”

Geraldo Perdomo will continue to handle the majority of the reps at shortstop for the D-backs. Perdomo has slashed .230/.335/.321 with .656 OPS in 57 games this season with no defensive errors. He currently leads all National League rookies in walks, is tied for first in triples, tied for second in runs scored, and is ranked third in hits.

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