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.
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Nationals' CJ Abrams: Four hits, two steals in loss
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Abrams went 4-for-5 with two doubles, two stolen bases and two runs scored in Thursday's loss to the Cubs.
Abrams singled to lead off the contest before going on to steal second and third, and eventually coming around to score on a knock from Andres Chaparro. The shortstop would also add two doubles before finishing the contest with his first four-hit performance of the season. Abrams has now hit safely in five straight games, posting multiple hits three times over that stretch. His two stolen bases Thursday also put him over the 30-steal mark for the second straight season in his young and promising career.
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Nationals' CJ Abrams: Returns to lineup
Rotowire
Abrams (shoulder) will start at shortstop and bat leadoff Tuesday against the Mets.
Left-shoulder soreness has prevented Abrams from playing in each of Washington's last four games, but he seems to finally be feeling better entering Tuesday's contest. The 23-year-old has been in a bit of a slump at the plate recently, slashing just .176/.194/.382 with two home runs and three RBI since the start of September.
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Nationals' CJ Abrams: Available off bench Monday
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Abrams (shoulder) is available off the bench for Monday's game against the Mets, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
Abrams is missing a fourth straight start due to left shoulder discomfort, but it sounds like his return to the lineup could happen any day now. Nasim Nunez is picking up another start at shortstop in Monday's series opener.
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Nationals' CJ Abrams: Remains on bench Monday
Rotowire
Abrams (shoulder) is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Mets, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
He'll miss out on a fourth consecutive start while he continues to contend with a sore left shoulder. Nasim Nunez will once again fill in at shortstop in place of Abrams, who is considered day-to-day and may be available off the bench Monday.
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Nationals' CJ Abrams: Scratched Friday
Rotowire
The Nationals scratched Abrams from the lineup Friday against Miami due to left shoulder soreness, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
Abrams made a diving play during Thursday's game and tweaked his left shoulder. He was slated to bat leadoff and play shortstop prior to being scratched. Nasim Nunez will enter the lineup in place of Abrams, but will bat ninth. Abrams will likely undergo further testing, but the injury doesn't seem to be significant at this point.
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Nationals' CJ Abrams: Reaches 20-20 mark
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Abrams went 2-for-4 with a home run and an additional run in Wednesday's 5-1 victory versus Atlanta.
Abrams crushed a 420-foot homer to center field in the fourth inning for his 20th homer of the campaign. It's the first time he's reached that mark in his career -- the shortstop fell just short with 18 long balls last year. Abrams also has 28 steals this season, making him one of 10 big leaguers to reach 20-20 so far.
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Nationals' CJ Abrams: Swats 19th homer
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Abrams went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Sunday's loss to the Pirates.
The shortstop led off the game by taking Jared Jones deep, but it was the last lead the Nationals would hold on the afternoon in a 7-3 loss. The homer was the 19th of the year for Abrams, a new career high, and he's tied the career-high 64 RBI he collected last year. The 23-year-old's overall offensive profile hasn't taken the step forward expected of him in 2024, however -- his .238/.307/.422 slash line is nearly identical to his .245/.300/.412 performance from 2023, and Abrams has fallen from 47 steals in 51 attempts to 28 in 40.
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Nationals' CJ Abrams: Day off Thursday
Rotowire
Abrams is not in the lineup for Thursday's game in Pittsburgh.
With left-hander Bailey Falter on the hill for the Pirates, Nationals manager Dave Martinez has elected to give the left-handed hitting Abrams a day off. Nasim Nunez will draw a start at shortstop and bat ninth.
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Nationals' CJ Abrams: Day off Wednesday
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Abrams is absent from the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Yankees, Spencer Nusbaum of The Washington Post reports.
Abrams went 0-for-8 with a couple strikeouts in the first two games of the series and will be given a day off in the finale. Nasim Nunez is getting a rare start at shortstop in Abrams' place, and rookie Dylan Crews will move up into the leadoff spot.
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Nationals' CJ Abrams: Two hits, stolen base in loss
Rotowire
Abrams went 2-for-5 with a stolen base in Saturday's loss to Atlanta.
Abrams singled to lead off the third before swiping his 26th bag of the season and his sixth in the month of August. The shortstop added another leadoff single in the fifth but was again left stranded as Washington's offense failed to get much going in the contest. It marked Abrams' second multi-hit effort in his last five starts, though he's still batting just .197 on the month with three homers, eight RBI and eight runs scored.
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Nationals' CJ Abrams: Sitting out against Sale
Rotowire
Abrams is absent from the lineup for Friday's game in Atlanta, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
Atlanta has southpaw Chris Sale on the mound, so the Nationals are choosing to give the left-handed hitting Abrams a rare day off. Nasim Nunez will handle shortstop duties Friday.
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Nationals' CJ Abrams: Homers in loss
Rotowire
Abrams went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 3-1 loss to the Rockies.
Abrams provided the Nationals' only offense when he took Austin Gomber deep in the bottom of the sixth inning. The shortstop has gone just 7-for-34 over his past 10 games but has tallied a homer and three steals in his most recent two. On the season, he is hitting .248 with 18 long balls, 60 RBI, 72 runs scored and 25 steals across 514 plate appearances.
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Nationals' CJ Abrams: Swipes three bags
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Abrams went 2-for-4 with a walk and three stolen bases in Sunday's win against the Phillies.
Abrams wreaked havoc on the basepaths, swiping three bases in a game for the third time this season. The 23-year-old entered Sunday's contest mired in an 0-for-14 slump with five strikeouts over his past four games, part of a rough August in which he has batted .189 with four extra-base hits and five stolen bases in 15 games. The young shortstop has put together a well-rounded season despite his recent struggles, batting .248 with 17 home runs, 59 RBI, 71 runs scored and 25 steals in 115 games played.
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Nationals' CJ Abrams: Battling back spasms
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Abrams was scratched from the lineup ahead of Friday's game against the Angels due to back spasms, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.
Abrams' injury was enough to keep him from playing Friday, but the team doesn't expect it to lead to an extended absence. Nasim Nunez started at shortstop instead Friday but left the game early due to cramping, creating uncertainty over who might get the nod at the position Saturday.
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Nationals' CJ Abrams: Scratched Friday
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Abrams was scratched from the Nationals' lineup ahead of Friday's game versus the Angels.
The Nationals haven't yet announced why Abrams was taken out of the lineup, but more clarification should come shortly. In the meantime, Nasim Nunez will fill in at shortstop and bat ninth.
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Nationals' CJ Abrams: Homers in win
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Abrams went 2-for-5 with a three-run home run in Tuesday's 11-5 win over the Giants.
Abrams gave the Nationals the lead on a three-run homer in the second inning and added a single in the third. The shortstop has gone just 4-for-23 in five August contests after a rough July, but two of those hits have left the park. On the year, he is hitting .252 with 17 home runs, 57 RBI, 68 runs scored and 20 steals across 473 plate appearances.
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Nationals' CJ Abrams: Reaches 20-steal mark
Rotowire
Abrams went 1-for-4 with a double, a stolen base and a run scored in Monday's 9-8 loss to the Diamondbacks.
Abrams has had an inconsistent July, batting .170 (16-for-94) while logging six steals over 24 contests this month. The 23-year-old's still regularly hitting leadoff and that's unlikely to change with the Nationals focusing on the future for the remainder of the campaign. The shortstop has a .256/.331/.457 slash line, 15 home runs, 20 steals, 51 RBI and 64 runs scored over 99 contests this season.
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Nationals' CJ Abrams: Clubs game-deciding homer
Rotowire
Abrams went 1-for-5 with a two-run home run in Saturday's 6-5 win at Milwaukee.
The 23-year-old entered the contest in a 1-for-19 slump and started off 0-for-4 on Saturday, but he erased a one-run deficit in the ninth inning with a two-run homer off Brewers closer Trevor Megill. Abrams is batting just .183 through 13 games in July, but he still has a .269/.344/.486 slash line for the season to go along with 15 home runs, 48 RBI and 15 steals.
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Nationals' CJ Abrams: On base three times in loss
Rotowire
Abrams went 1-for-3 with two walks and two runs scored in Monday's extra-inning loss to the Mets.
The streaky leadoff hitter has drawn five free passes over the last three games, and over his last 20 contests Abrams is slashing a blistering .408/.512/.690 with three homers, five steals, 15 RBI and 18 runs. The peaks have outweighed the valleys so far in 2024 for the 23-year-old shortstop -- Abrams' .860 OPS is nearly a 150-point improvement on his .712 mark from last season.
