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The Nationals optioned Abrams to Triple-A Rochester on Saturday, Britt Ghiroli of The Athletic reports.
Since the All-Star break, Abrams has slashed just .203/.260/.326 with five home runs and 17 RBI -- a stark contrast from the .832 OPS he logged during the first half of the year. However, manager Dave Martinez said Saturday that Abrams' demotion is not related to his performance. Instead, the decision to send him down to the minors comes amid reports that he stayed out past curfew at a casino in Chicago prior to Friday's early-afternoon game against the Cubs, per Jeff Passan of ESPN.com. With Rochester's season wrapping up, the 23-year-old will instead report to the Nationals' complex in Florida for the final week of the season. Meanwhile, Nasim Nunez will likely be first in line to take over as Washington's primary shortstop.
