Ahmed was sick Tuesday, Zach Buchanan of The Athletic Arizona reports.

EDGE Analysis

The illness explains why Ahmed is out of the lineup for two games in a row. The Diamondbacks will want to get him back in action soon, as they're already down one infielder with Jake Lamb on the disabled list with a shoulder strain.

Ahmed is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Dodgers.

EDGE Analysis

Ahmed sat Tuesday as well. Ketel Marte will again slide over to shortstop, with Daniel Descalso at second and Deven Marrero receiving another start at third. There have been no reports that Ahmed is dealing with an injury, and there are no platoon factors at play, as the Diamondbacks have faced lefties in both games. It appears that the team is just giving Ahmed a pair of off days in a row.

Ahmed is hoping that improved pitch selection and a swing path change will allow his hot offensive start to continue, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports.

EDGE Analysis

He is working on not swinging at sinkers down and in or breaking balls down and away, which tend to lead to weak groundballs. Instead he is focusing on waiting for pitches that he can do damage on. "I think in the past I've probably not locked in a specific zone as much as I should and chased more of the pitchers' pitches, either on the corners or down and out of the zone," Ahmed said. His swing path has also evolved. He has worked with several hitting coaches and gurus recently to try to generate more balls in the air in the middle of the field. So far his production fits the narrative, as he is hitting .471 (.538 BABIP) with one home run and a 3:2 K:BB through 19 plate appearances. Of course, his career .230 batting average in 1,039 plate appearances looms as a reminder that this could very easily just be the result of good luck in a small sample size. It's at least not impossible, given his reported changes to his approach, that we could be witnessing a breakout.

Ahmed is not in the lineup Tuesday against the Dodgers.

EDGE Analysis

Coming off Monday's 15-inning outing, Ahmed will have the night off. Ketel Marte will move to shortstop while Daniel Descalso covers second base, sending Ahmed to the bench. Look for Ahmed to return to action for Wednesday's series finale against Los Angeles.

Ahmed went 3-for-6 with a double, walk, run and RBI on Monday in the Diamondbacks' 8-7 win over the Dodgers in 15 innings.

EDGE Analysis

Despite entering the season with a lowly .618 career OPS, Ahmed has surprisingly emerged as the Diamondbacks' top hitter through four contests. He's notched an extra-base hit in each of those games while collecting seven RBI and four runs out of the No. 7 spot in the lineup. While it's unlikely that manager Torey Lovullo is ready to move Ahmed up in the order just yet, the shortstop may be worth a short-term look in deeper mixed leagues until his bat begins to cool.

Ahmed went 3-for-4 with a three-run home run and five RBI in the Diamondbacks' 9-8 win over the Rockies on Friday.

EDGE Analysis

Coming off an injury-shortened 2017, Ahmed has the job as Arizona's starting shortstop to start 2018 and Friday's offensive explosion was certainly a good start to the gig. Anyone who thinks Ahmed is likely repeat the feat with great frequency would probably be best advised to temper their expectations, as the 28 year old has never had higher than a .717 OPS in any of his time at the big-league level. That said, if you have a need at the position it could be worth keeping tabs on what Ahmed does with the regular role to see if he parlays it into consistent production.

Ahmed went 1-for-3 with a double, walk and two runs in Thursday's 8-2 win over the Rockies.

EDGE Analysis

Ahmed opened the past season as the primary backup at shortstop behind Chris Owings, but the two are set to flip roles in 2018 with Owings transitioning to utility work in the infield and outfield. The prospect of more consistent plate appearances improves Ahmed's fantasy outlook, but probably not enough to make him an interesting commodity outside of NL-only formats. Even in what was a career year at the plate in 2017, Ahmed slashed just .251/.298/.419 across 178 plate appearances, which was good for a 76 wRC+.

Ahmed was deployed as the starting shortstop and No. 8 hitter in Tuesday's 6-5 exhibition loss to the Angels in what could be a preview of the Diamondbacks' Opening Day lineup, Owen Perkins of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Manager Torey Lovullo hinted earlier in spring training that Ahmed would likely occupy the everyday gig at shortstop with Chris Owings transitioning to more of a utility role in 2018, so Ahmed's inclusion in the lineup isn't too surprising. Though the Diamondbacks have plenty of talent surrounding him in the order, Ahmed's placement near the bottom of the order nonetheless figures to limit his run-scoring and RBI opportunities. Regarded as a glove-first player, Ahmed took a step forward at the dish last season with a .717 OPS, which was more than 80 points better than his previous career high. Even so, Ahmed's offensive contributions were still below average, as reflected in his 76 wRC+.

Ahmed appears to be in line to open the year as the Diamondbacks' primary shortstop, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports.

EDGE Analysis

The front office reportedly largely attributes the team's 17-29 record over a 46-game stretch last summer to Ahmed being out with a fractured hand, as his defense and leadership at shortstop had been instrumental to the team's success earlier in the year. It's not hard to look at the Diamondbacks' moves this offseason and come to the conclusion that they really value defense, so Ahmed getting the bulk of the starts at shortstop would fit those values. It sounds like Ketel Marte will get the bulk of the starts at second base, giving the Diamondbacks a very strong middle-infield defense. Marte will also get the backup starts at shortstop, while Chris Owings and Daniel Descalso appear in line to serve as the utility options. Ahmed is the worst hitter of the bunch, and will offer very little fantasy value, even with close to everyday at-bats.

Ahmed (wrist) is 2-for-4 with a double in two spring games.

EDGE Analysis

Ahmed missed time last season due to hand and wrist injuries, but it seems like that is all behind him at this point. He's currently in the mix for starting duties in the Diamondbacks' middle infield, and his chances of garnering a prominent role increased following the trade of Brandon Drury to the Yankees. Ahmed will need to outperform Ketel Marte and Chris Owings (finger) this spring to prove he deserves regular playing time, though.