Atlanta Braves (2011–2012) Minor leagues The
Atlanta Braves drafted Ahmed in the second round, with the 85th overall selection, of the
2011 Major League Baseball draft, 85th overall. Ahmed played in 130 games for the High–A
Lynchburg Hillcats in 2012,
batting .269/.337/.391 with six home runs, 49 RBI, and 40 stolen bases. He was named the fastest baserunner in
minor league baseball by
Baseball America.
Arizona Diamondbacks (2013–2023) On January 24, 2013, the Braves traded Ahmed,
Martín Prado,
Randall Delgado,
Zeke Spruill, and
Brandon Drury to the
Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for
Justin Upton and
Chris Johnson. He spent the entirety of the season with the Double–A
Mobile BayBears, hitting .236/.288/.324 with four home runs, 46 RBI, and 26 stolen bases across 136 contests. He collected his first Major League hit off of
Odrisamer Despaigne of the
San Diego Padres in his debut that same day and his first major league homer on July 31 off
Stolmy Pimentel of the
Pittsburgh Pirates. In 25 games, he hit an even .200 in 70 at bats. Ahmed began the 2015 season as the Diamondbacks' starting shortstop. In 134 games, he hit .226 with nine home runs. causing him to miss the last two months of the season. In 90 games, he had a .218 batting average. leading to a long layoff, and two months later his right wrist was fractured when he was hit by a pitch in a rehab appearance. As a result, he only appeared in 53 games during the
2017 season with a .251 batting average. In 153 games, Ahmed hit .234 with 16 home runs, 70 RBI and 33 doubles. The following season, Ahmed continued his offensive resurgence from 2018, hitting a career high .254 along with career highs in home runs (19) and RBI (82) Before the 2020 season, Ahmed signed a four-year contract with the Diamondbacks that guaranteed him $32.5 million. In the
pandemic-shortened 2020 season, Ahmed hit .266 with five home runs and 29 RBI in 57 games. Ahmed played in 17 games for Arizona in 2022, slashing .231/.259/.442 with three home runs and seven RBI. His season was cut short when he was placed on the 60-day injured list with right shoulder inflammation on June 8. In 2023, Ahmed became the first player in Diamondbacks history to play 10 seasons with the club. In 72 games for Arizona, he batted .212/.257/.303 with two home runs, 17 RBI, and five stolen bases. He was released by the Diamondbacks on September 9.
San Francisco Giants (2024) On February 26, 2024, Ahmed signed a minor league contract with the
San Francisco Giants. On March 28, he had his contract selected after beating out
Marco Luciano for the starting shortstop position in
spring training. In 52 games for the Giants, he batted .232/.278/.303 with one home run and 15 RBI. and released the following day.
Los Angeles Dodgers (2024) On July 24, 2024, Ahmed signed a major league contract with the
Los Angeles Dodgers, as a replacement for injured shortstop
Miguel Rojas in the lineup. In 17 games for Los Angeles, he hit .229 with one home run and two RBI. He cleared waivers, and elected free agency in lieu of an outright assignment on August 22.
San Diego Padres (2024) On September 1, 2024, Ahmed signed a minor league contract with the
San Diego Padres. On September 22, the Padres selected Ahmed's contract, adding him to their active roster. In 2 games for the team, he went 1-for-7 (.143).
Texas Rangers (2025) On February 4, 2025, Ahmed signed a minor league contract with the
Texas Rangers. He was released by the Rangers prior to the start of the season on March 22. On April 9, Ahmed re-signed with the Rangers organization on a new minor league contract. On April 23, Texas selected Ahmed's contract, adding him to their active roster. In five games for the Rangers, he went 0-for-9 with one stolen base and one walk. Ahmed was designated for assignment following the promotion of
Blaine Crim on May 2. He cleared waivers and elected free agency on May 4. Ahmed announced his retirement from professional baseball on July 24, 2025. ==Personal life==