The Washington Nationals announced on Saturday that they were demoting All-Star shortstop CJ Abrams to their minor league complex in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Nationals manager Dave Martinez said on Saturday that Abrams’ demotion was not due to his play on the field, but instead it was “internal issues.” He did not elaborate.
“I’m not going to give specifics or talk about specifics because I need to keep these guys and everything on the down low,” Martinez said. “I’ve got other guys out there that I want to support. I’m going to support CJ. He’s a big part of our Nats family, and he will be. At this point, for me, it’s the right thing to do.”
But according to CHGO’s Cody Delmendo, Abrams was out all night at a Chicago-area casino and did not return back until hours before the Nationals’ Friday 2 p.m. ET game against the Chicago Cubs.
Abrams led off during the Nationals’ 3-1 loss and went 0-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout.
The 23-year-old Abrams enjoyed a stellar first half, batting .268 with 15 home runs, 48 RBI and 15 stolen bases. His play earned him a place on the National League All-Star Game roster.
But Abrams has struggled since the All-Star break. In his last 49 games he’s batting .203 with five homers and 17 RBI. His fielding has also been under the microscope, with seven errors since the beginning of August.
Per ESPN’s Jeff Passan, Abrams’ service time will not be affected as he’s been with the MLB team the entire 2024 season and surpassed the 172 days needed to earn a full year of service. He has the option to file a grievance through the MLBPA for losing nearly $30,000 of his $752,000 salary if he misses the Nationals’ final week of games.
