PHOENIX — The Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Colorado Rockies 12-5, overcoming a 5-1 deficit in the process, at Chase Field on Wednesday. But that was not what fans were talking about after the game, as the D-Backs designated their longest-tenured player, shortstop Nick Ahmed, for assignment and called up their No. 1 prospect, shortstop Jordan Lawler.
Ahmed has been with the D-Backs for 10 years, winning two Gold Gloves and helping take the 2017 D-Backs to the playoffs. Those were the highs. But Ahmed has also seen a lot of downs during his time in Arizona, including the 110-loss season just two years ago.
And with the team now possibly on the verge of making the playoffs again, letting Ahmed go was very hard for manager Torey Lovullo.
"He’s just a good human being who was engaged every single day when he came to the ballpark to do everything he possibly could to help his team win a baseball game," Lovullo said. "My thought was to make him my first embrace when we clinch a playoff spot this year because of everything that he’s been through and we’ve been through, this organization’s been through. But we’ll put that on pause. It’s not going to happen. And that obviously hits me a little bit harder than some but baseball’s tough sometimes but it happens and we’ve been a part of it and we’ll move on, he’ll move on."
Lovullo admitted that the conversation with Ahmed was difficult, but that the veteran handled it like a total pro.
"He understood it," Lovullo said. "He said he didn’t do his job and that was his responsibility. He took ownership, he took accountability, those are some big words in this culture, and in a time of crisis, you see the true human being. You see the true man. And he was everything you guys would expect.”
Ahmed was emotional in the D-Backs' clubhouse after hearing the news.
"(I'm) just disappointed, obviously," Ahmed said. "(I ) spent a long time here. Just gave it everything I've got. (I'm) just gonna miss the guys, the team. When it happens to other guys, it sucks. You feel for them, you miss them, and just the hard part of our game. Just 10 years and ripping the Band-Aid off in 10 minutes."
Lawler, the D-Backs' top prospect in the minor leagues, will now travel to meet the team in Chicago, where they will play a crucial four-game series against the Cubs starting Thursday. Lovullo says that fans should expect Lawlar to play right away.
"He’s going to play," Lovullo said. "I don’t know what the menu is. We’ve had so many moving parts to what’s been happening over the past 12 hours that I haven’t had a chance to sit down and think about how I’m going to inject him into this lineup. He’s going to get some at-bats. 100% against every lefty he’ll be the starting shortstop and then I just want to inject him into the lineup when I can for the right matchup and the right situation.”
Fellow rookie Corbin Carroll is excited that Lawlar will be joining the team as they chase a Wild Card spot.
"I think he just needs to come up here and be himself," Carroll said. "I think he has a lot of resources here to be able to, a lot of veteran guys and then some young guys as well who can share experiences with him, I think he’s going to be in a great spot.”
Carroll was taken out of Wednesday's win over the Rockies after getting hit by a pitch in the wrist. Lovullo says Carroll got x-rays on his wrist, which came back negative, and that Carroll is penciled into Thursday's lineup.
The Diamondbacks optioned both catcher Jose Herrera and pitcher Bryce Jarvis to AAA Reno after the game. They also claimed catcher Seby Zavala off waivers from the Chicago White Sox.
The first pitch between the D-Backs and Cubs at Wrigley Field in Chicago is at 4:40 p.m. Arizona time on Thursday.