Ahmed is out of the lineup Friday. Ahmed certainly deserves a day off, as he has six hits and two home runs in his last four games. The recent power is a bit misleading, as he is not really that kind of player, but it does seem like he's making strides offensively. Cliff Pennington will get the start at shortstop Friday.

Ahmed went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run, his sixth, Tuesday in a loss to the Dodgers. Ahmed posted a second consecutive month with an OPS over .700 in June after he hit .140/.234/.158 in April. His six home runs are as many as he hit at any minor league level and he could reach double digits this year, which qualifies as a nice surprise.

Ahmed went 2-for-3 with two-run home run (his fifth) and a stolen base Monday in a win over the Dodgers. Ahmed has had a productive month of June, with three home runs and steals, seven extra-base hits total, and 10 walks against 13 strikeouts. It remains to be seen whether this is just a small sample mirage, but the improved batting with his good defense should keep Ahmed in the D-backs lineup the rest of the way.

Ahmed went 1-for-4 with his fourth home run (a solo shot) Tuesday in a loss to the Rockies. Ahmed's four home home runs equal his output from Triple-a last year and have to qualify as a surprise. He has posted a perfectly adequate .805 OPS over the past month and should provide value at a thin position the rest of the way. It would be nice to see him swipe a few more bags and perhaps he will get the chance with a more stable offensive game.

Ahmed is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Padres. The 25-year-old singled twice in Friday's win, his third multi-hit effort in his last five games, but Ahmed will sit Saturday in favor of Cliff Pennington at shortstop. It's a minuscule sample, but Pennington is 3-for-5 in his career against Saturday's starter Tyson Ross, so that may factored in to him getting the nod.

Ahmed went 2-for-4 with an RBI on Friday against San Diego. Ahmed continues to make strides at the plate with his third multi-hit game in his last five starts. While his profile is low-impact from a fantasy perspective due to a lack of power, he has a secure grip on the shortstop job in Arizona and posted a .297/.373/.473 line over his last 91 at-bats, which could offer some value in deep leagues or as an injury replacement.

Ahmed went 2-for-3 with an RBI Thursday against Anaheim. Ahmed has now reached base in 10 straight games and after a disastrous start to the season has posted a .287/.367/.471 line over the past month, which is close to what he did in Triple-A last year. The hot run has likely earned him a longer leash, so he could be worth looking at in deeper leagues where he could add some valuable stolen bases.

Ahmed went 2-for-4 with a double and two runs Monday against Anaheim. Ahmed has picked things up lately, boosting his line to .204/.302/.318 for the season with a 6-for-19 (.316) performance in the past week and adding four walks in that span. His defense will keep him in the majors if he can get on base at a better than .300 clip and he has the speed to steal 15-plus bases, which could make him useful in deep leagues.

Ahmed is not in the lineup Sunday against the Giants. Ahmed has made six straight starts at shortstop, but will rest in favor of Cliff Pennington for the Sunday afternoon contest. The 25-year-old Ahmed is just 6-for-32 (.188) since the start of June, bringing his season average down to .217.

Ahmed went 0-for-2 with two walks, an RBI, and a run scored Saturday against the Giants. Ahmed has been on a role lately, especially getting on base, drawing eight walks in the past two weeks. He is probably doing enough at the plate now with his strong defensive game not to lose at-bats any time soon. He still doesn't add a lot to fantasy lineups, but he can add some value in deep leagues if he keeps up this level of play.