In a surprising move, the Washington Nationals sent down young start shortstop CJ Abrams with just seven games left in the season. The move comes after the team found him pulling an all-nighter at a Chicago casino the day before the team was set to take on the Cubs in a day game.
It’s being reported that Abrams was out until 8 a.m., with the first pitch set for just 1 p.m.
Of course, moving an all-star down so late in the season is uncommon, and many people questioned the organization’s decision on Abrams.
When Nationals manager Dave Martinez was asked about it on Saturday, he preferred not to go too far in-depth about it. “I just want it to be known it wasn’t performance-based,” Martinez said. “It’s an internal issue. I’m not going to give specifics.”
It was later reported that Abrams was found in the Bally’s Casino at 8am.
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In his second full season with the Nationals, Abrams is putting together the best year of his career. He boasts a slash line of .246/.314/.433 with 133 hits, 79 runs, 65 batted in, and 20 home runs.
In about two weeks, Abrams will be turning 24 years old, so this mistake can possibly just be chalked up to needing more time to mature and learn to put the team ahead of yourself.
CJ Abrams Was A Kep Piece In The Juan Soto Trade
There are a lot of expectations for Abrams to grow into a superstar in his time with the Nationals. He was one of the key pieces the team earned when they moved on from beloved All-Star Juan Soto.
Since arriving in Washington in mid-2022, his offensive production has improved yearly. However, Abrams’s defense is holding him back after he committed 17 errors in 2024 and 22 in 2023.
That’s concerning, considering shortstops are usually considered one of the best defensive players on the field.
