The Nationals are still sorting out the best way to use CJ Abrams, and the latest answer is a split assignment up the middle.
After announcing in mid-August that Abrams would move from shortstop to second base, manager Blake Butera said this week that the plan is for the two-time All-Star to divide his time evenly between second and short to finish the season. Abrams has been outstanding at the plate, but his glove has been a problem, and Washington is clearly trying to get the bat in the lineup without living with all the defensive damage.
Abrams has already started to work through the new setup. Around the time the position change was announced, he hurt his ankle against the Rangers, missed several games, and then came back limited to DH work.
He made his second-base debut last weekend and handled the spot cleanly, including an athletic catch on a pop-up drifting over his head. This week against the Braves, he started one game at second and another at short.
Last night in Los Angeles, he opened at second before shifting to shortstop after Jorbit Vivas pinch-hit for Nasim Nunez.
The defensive numbers explain why the Nationals are making the adjustment. Abrams sits in the first percentile in Statcast’s Outs Above Average metric and is second-to-last among qualified fielders at -16 OAA, with only Giants shortstop Willy Adames behind him. Defensive Runs Saved is kinder, but still points in the same direction: Abrams is at -2 DRS this season after posting -6 DRS in 2025.
At second base, though, the early sample has looked better. Abrams has 1 DRS in 25 innings there, and he was neutral defensively in 66 innings at second with the Padres in 2022.
Nunez has given Washington a solid answer at shortstop. He has piled up 18 DRS across the two middle infield positions, with most of that coming at second base, and that puts him in the top 10 among all fielders in the category. His OAA at shortstop has been negative this year, but over his career he’s been a plus defender there.
The bat, meanwhile, remains Abrams’ calling card. He owns a career-best 126 wRC+ and has become the engine of one of the league’s highest-scoring offenses.
The 25-year-old is also one homer and three steals shy of his first 30/30 season. Washington turned away trade interest in him during the offseason, and he now stands as a cornerstone for an improving club with a promising young core.
There was also progress on the injury front for a couple of other Nationals arms. Connelly Early threw a 30-pitch bullpen session on Thursday as he continues working back from an elbow injury, according to Kyle Williams of the Baltimore Banner.
Early was moved to the 60-day IL in late August and hasn’t pitched since late June. The left-hander came to Washington in the trade that sent infielder Curtis Mead to Boston, and that deal still hasn’t produced much for either side.
Mead broke his wrist in his second at-bat with the Red Sox and hasn’t played since.
Josiah Gray also advanced this week, moving his rehab assignment to Double-A and throwing an inning with Harrisburg on Wednesday. Gray has been limited to 42 1/3 innings over the last three seasons because of arm injuries, and he is currently coming back from a right flexor strain. He said he could return to the Nationals as a reliever by the end of the season.
And Cade Cavalli is expected to take the ball tonight against the Dodgers. He left his last outing after being struck in the leg by a comebacker, but not before throwing four hitless innings.
That shortened start snapped a run of nine straight quality starts. Cavalli is set to face Tyler Glasnow in the second game of the series.
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