The Washington Nationals announced Saturday that they were retrograding All-Star shortstop CJ Abrams heads to his minor league complex in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Nationals manager Dave Martinez said Saturday that Abrams’ demotion was not due to his play on the field, but rather “internal issues.” He did not elaborate.
“I’m not going to give specifics or talk about specifics because I have to keep those guys and everything else under wraps,” Martinez said. “I have other guys I want to support. I’m going to support CJ. He’s a big part of our Nats family, and he’s going to be. At this point, to me, it’s the right thing to do.”
But according to Cody Delmendo of CHGOAbrams was out all night at a Chicago-area casino and didn’t return until hours before the Nationals’ 2 p.m. ET game Friday against the Chicago Cubs.
Abrams started during Nationals’ 3-1 defeat and went 0 for 3 with a walk and a strikeout.
Abrams, 23, had a stellar first half of the season, batting .268 with 15 home runs, 48 RBIs and 15 stolen bases. His play earned him a spot on the National League All-Star Game roster.
But Abrams has struggled since the All-Star break. Over his last 49 games, he’s hitting .203 with five homers and 17 RBIs. His defensive play has also come under scrutiny, with seven errors since the start of August.
By ESPN’s Jeff PassanAbrams’ service time will not be affected since he was with the MLB team for the entire 2024 season and exceeded the 172 days required to earn a full year of service. He has the option to file a complaint with the MLBPA forfeiting nearly $30,000 of his $752,000 salary if he misses the Nationals’ final week of games.