Nationals demote All-Star infielder as punishment
Sep 19, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Washington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams (5) smiles after scoring against the Chicago Cubs during the first inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
The Washington Nationals appear to be trying to send a message to All-Star shortstop CJ Abrams by shockingly sending him to the minor leagues.
Britt Ghiroli of The Athletic reported Saturday that Abrams, an All-Star this season, was sent to the minor leagues by the Nationals. While Abrams has struggled a bit in the second half, the move seemingly made no sense, as he has hit .271 with a .766 OPS in the month of September.
The Nationals are optioning CJ Abrams to the minor leagues, sources tell the Athletic. Abrams was an All Star, but has struggled in the second half.
— Britt Ghiroli (@Britt_Ghiroli) September 21, 2024
The move was initially met with confusion. However, 106.7 The Fan’s Grant Paulsen pointed to an X post from a Chicago sports media personality claiming that Abrams had been at a Chicago casino until 8 a.m. on Friday despite the Nationals having a game at 1 p.m. local time. That, Paulsen said, appeared to be the reason for the demotion, especially since the minor league season is effectively over for the Nationals’ affiliates.
I’m a CJ Abrams guy but one day after he was out until 8 AM before a 1 PM local game, the Nats sent him down to the minors.
This is Mike Rizzo saying “not on this team.” Doesn’t matter if you’re an All-Star. Not something they’ll tolerate. pic.twitter.com/UsbVqpTIii
— Grant Paulsen (@granthpaulsen) September 21, 2024
You want a sign of how upset the Nats were when they decided to send CJ Abrams down:
The Triple-A season ends tomorrow. There are no more games. So by being sent down, Abrams will be in West Palm not even playing in rehab games based on the timing of all of this.
— Grant Paulsen (@granthpaulsen) September 21, 2024
This is a pretty striking move by the Nationals and is clearly meant to send a message. They have really embraced a youth movement this year, and they presumably want to make it very clear to their young team that this sort of behavior will not fly, no matter how much Abrams might have accomplished in his young career.
Abrams was one of the key pieces Washington received in the Juan Soto trade with the San Diego Padres. The 23-year-old is hitting .246 with 20 home runs and 31 stolen bases on the season.