Inside The Padres

Former Padres Shortstop Announces Sudden Retirement

J.P. Hoornstra|
San Diego Padres outfielder Jurickson Profar (10) and shortstop Nick Ahmed (16) interact before playing against the Los Angeles Dodgers in game one of the NLDS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Dodger Stadium on Oct. 5, 2024.
San Diego Padres outfielder Jurickson Profar (10) and shortstop Nick Ahmed (16) interact before playing against the Los Angeles Dodgers in game one of the NLDS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Dodger Stadium on Oct. 5, 2024. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

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San Diego Padres

Nick Ahmed spent more time in San Diego as a Padres opponent than he did wearing a brown and yellow uniform.

Ahmed spent his first 10 seasons in the majors with the Arizona Diamondbacks before finishing the 2024 season with the Padres — a brief chapter in a long career that officially ended Thursday.

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"The game has given me so much and I have so much to be thankful for from it, but now it's time to move on," Ahmed told former Padres pitcher Scott Linebrink on the Sports Spectrum podcast.

After 52 games with the New York Yankees, and 17 with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Ahmed became a free agent in August of last year. He signed a minor-league contract with the San Diego Padres nine days later, just in time to be eligible for the postseason.

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But after playing two September games in San Diego, Ahmed was not included on the roster when the Padres moved on to the National League Wild Card Series against the Atlanta Braves. He did not play in the NL Division Series against the Dodgers, either.

Ahmed, 35, played five games this season for the Texas Rangers before he was released in May. He called retirement the most difficult decision he's made in his career.

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In a post to his Twitter/X account Thursday, Ahmed thanked fans, his family, teammates, and coaches among many who helped him along the way.

A two-time Gold Glove winner, Ahmed was initially assigned to the Padres' Peoria, Arizona complex after signing on Aug. 31, 2024. He bided his time there for three weeks, working on live at-bats and maintaining his defensive skills.

After his contract was purchased by the major league club, Ahmed played one game at shortstop and another at second base in the Padres' regular season ending series in Arizona. He went 1 for 7, struck out twice, and scored a run in his two games as a Padre.

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A defensive dynamo, Ahmed won two Gold Glove Awards at shortstop with the Diamondbacks, whom he played for from 2014-23. He retires with a career batting average of .233, a .286 on-base percentage, and a .370 slugging percentage in 964 MLB games.

By the time his career was over, Ahmed had played for four of the five National League West teams.

For more Padres news, head over to Padres on SI.

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J.P. Hoornstra
J.P. HOORNSTRA

J.P. Hoornstra is an On SI Contributor. A veteran of 20 years of sports coverage for daily newspapers in California, J.P. covered MLB, the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Los Angeles Angels (occasionally of Anaheim) from 2012-23 for the Southern California News Group. His first book, The 50 Greatest Dodgers Games of All-Time, published in 2015. In 2016, he won an Associated Press Sports Editors award for breaking news coverage. He once recorded a keyboard solo on the same album as two of the original Doors.

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