Abrams went 3-for-5 with two solo home runs, a double and an additional run scored in Sunday's 10-4 win over the Orioles.
Abrams led off the game with a home run and added another in the second inning. The shortstop has been locked in over his past 10 games, logging five multi-hit performances with eight extra-base hits, four RBI, eight runs scored and a steal. On the season, he's slashing .312/.368/.574 with eight home runs, 18 RBI, 24 runs scored and nine stolen bases across 156 plate appearances.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' CJ Abrams: Lifts homer
Rotowire
Abrams went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, an additional run scored and a stolen base during Thursday's 5-2 loss to Atlanta.
Abrams notched his sixth home run of the season, tagging left-handed reliever Dylan Lee for a solo shot in the eighth frame. He's been red hot at the plate recently, going 15-for-34 (.441) with two home runs, two doubles and two stolen bases over his last eight appearances. He has a .927 OPS on the season.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' CJ Abrams: Reaches safely four times
Rotowire
Abrams went 2-for-3 with a run scored during Wednesday's 5-4 win over Atlanta.
Abrams got on base in four of his five plate appearances, tallying a pair of singles and a pair of walks for his 10th multi-hit performance of the year. The 24-year-old shortstop has been exceptional this season, slashing .311/.375/.525 across 137 plate appearances to go along with five home runs, 18 runs, 15 RBI and eight stolen bases.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' CJ Abrams: Lofts leadoff homer
Rotowire
Abrams went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 5-2 loss to Atlanta.
The shortstop belted the first pitch he saw from Spencer Schwellenbach over the fence in right-center field, the 10th leadoff homer of Abrams' career. The blast snapped a 19-game power drought for the 24-year-old, but Abrams has mostly been locked in at the plate since returning from a hip injury in late April. Over his last 18 games, he's slashing .351/.415/.514 with eight extra-base hits, four steals, eight RBI and 11 runs.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' CJ Abrams: Keeps raking Sunday
Rotowire
Abrams went 3-for-4 in Sunday's loss to the Cardinals.
None of the singles resulted in any runs, as the rest of the Nationals' lineup managed only two hits combined. Abrams has been on a tear since late April, collecting 10 hits in the last four games and slashing .379/.446/.515 over the last 16 contests with seven extra-base hits (five doubles and two triples), four steals, seven RBI and 10 runs. The surge has boosted his OPS on the season to a career-high .897 as the 24-year-old shortstop looks to take another big step forward in his development.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' CJ Abrams: Knocks four hits
Rotowire
Abrams went 4-for-5 with a double, a triple, one RBI and a run scored in Tuesday's loss to the Phillies.
Abrams hit an RBI double in the seventh inning and later scored in the ninth after a single. He also had a triple in the third inning and fell a home run shy of the cycle. Abrams now has five multi-hit games in 17 appearances this season, resulting in a .279/.306/.559 slash line.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' CJ Abrams: Hitless in return
Rotowire
Abrams went 0-for-4 with a strikeout in Thursday's loss to the Orioles.
Activated off the IL earlier in the day after recovering from a hip strain, Abrams was back in his usual leadoff spot in his return. The 24-year-old shortstop has racked up counting stats to begin the season with four homers, four steals, six runs and seven RBI through just 12 games, but his .222/.265/.533 slash line reflects his career-worst 26.0 percent strikeout rate so far.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' CJ Abrams: Placed on 10-day IL
Rotowire
The Nationals placed Abrams on the 10-day injured list Saturday due to a right hip flexor strain.
Abrams missed two games earlier in the week due to a right hip issue, and he aggravated the injury while stealing second base against the Marlins on Friday. He was evaluated by Nationals' medical staff Saturday, and it was determined that the severity of the injury warranted his placement on the injured list, though manager Davey Martinez appeared optimistic that Abrams won't need more than the minimum stint on the IL, per Bobby Blanco of MASN Sports. In Abrams' absence, the Nationals could turn to Paul DeJong to slide over from third base to shortstop, which would give Jose Tena and Amed Rosario more opportunities to get some starts at the hot corner. Nasim Nunez was recalled from Triple-A Rochester in a corresponding move, and he could see some reps in the infield due to Abrams' absence.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' CJ Abrams: Tallies another long ball in loss
Rotowire
Abrams went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 6-5 loss to the Dodgers.
Abrams drove a high fastball by Landon Knack into right field and out of the yard to put the Nationals on the board in the first inning. The speedy shortstop has gone deep in four of his last seven outings, during which he's batting .296 with two doubles, six RBI, six runs scored and two stolen bases over 27 at-bats.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' CJ Abrams: Checking back into lineup
Rotowire
Abrams (thigh) will start at shortstop and bat leadoff in Wednesday's game against the Dodgers.
Abrams was held out of the lineup for the past two games while dealing with right thigh tightness, but the Nationals never expressed much concern that the issue would force the young shortstop to the injured list. He'll be back at his familiar spot atop the lineup and in the infield for the series finale, while Paul DeJong shifts back over to third base after making the last two starts at shortstop.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' CJ Abrams: Remains out Tuesday
Rotowire
Abrams (thigh) remains out of the lineup for Tuesday's game versus the Dodgers.
Abrams' right thigh tightened up on him during Sunday's contest against the Diamondbacks and he has now missed two straight starts. The 24-year-old is considered day-to-day. Paul DeJong will cover shortstop again Tuesday, and Amed Rosario will play third base.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' CJ Abrams: Day-to-day with thigh tightness
Rotowire
Nationals manager Dave Martinez said that Abrams is not in the lineup for Monday's game versus the Dodgers due to right thigh tightness, Spencer Nusbaum of The Washington Post reports.
Abrams' thigh tightened up on him during the final play of Sunday's win over the Diamondbacks. Martinez said that he's not concerned the injury could linger, but the team felt it was best to give Abrams at least one day of rest. Paul DeJong will slide over to start at shortstop in Monday's series opener, while Jose Tena will get the nod at third base.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' CJ Abrams: Heating up in April
Rotowire
Abrams went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 6-4 loss to Arizona.
Abrams got the Nationals on the board with a solo shot in the first inning off Diamondbacks right-hander Brandon Pfaadt. After going just 2-for-13 in three outings to open the campaign, Abrams is 7-for-16 with three long balls, two doubles, four RBI and one stolen base over his past four contests.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' CJ Abrams: Smacks solo homer Wednesday
Rotowire
Abrams went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 4-2 loss to Toronto.
Abrams got the Nationals on the board in the sixth inning, when he took Brendon Little deep for a 386-foot solo homer to right field. Abrams had a productive series in Toronto despite Washington being swept, with the 24-year-old shortstop going 5-for-12 with two doubles, three runs, two home runs and three RBI. The Nationals have an off day Thursday before starting a three-game home series against the Diamondbacks on Friday.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' CJ Abrams: Tallies three hits Tuesday
Rotowire
Abrams went 3-for-4 with two doubles, an RBI, a run and a stolen base in Tuesday's loss to the Blue Jays.
Abrams doubled his early-season hit total and swiped his second bag of the year. He now has three extra-base hits in his last two games and bumped his batting average up to .286 after Tuesday's strong performance.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' CJ Abrams: Back in action Thursday
Rotowire
Abrams (quadricep) will start at shortstop and bat leadoff in Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Rays, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.
As expected, Abrams has been cleared to return to action following his precautionary removal from Wednesday's game against the Astros when he experienced cramping in both of his quads after legging out a triple. He enters Thursday's contest having hit .300 with one home run and three RBI over 30 at-bats in the Grapefruit League.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' CJ Abrams: Focusing on swing decisions
Rotowire
Abrams' slow start to spring training isn't a concern yet for the Nationals, Bobby Blanco of MASN Sports reports.
The shortstop's issues on and off the field late last season, which prompted a demotion to Triple-A Rochester, have put a spotlight on his performance early in camp. So far Abrams has struggled, going 3-for-19 (.158) through six Grapefruit League appearances with zero strikeouts or walks, but it's the latter the team wants him to focus on. "We know he's got some power. We want to make sure that it doesn't transpire into just him trying to hit home runs all the time," manager Dave Martinez said this week. "We need him to get on base for us. If he's going to lead off, he's got to be able to get on base, accept his walks. Right now, he's really trying to work on staying on the ball and work on his timing a little bit. But he's been really good." Abrams was slashing .283/.344/.513 at the end of June last year prior to his second-half struggles, and the Nats still believe he can provide that level of production on a consistent basis.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' CJ Abrams: Will bat leadoff
Rotowire
Abrams will be moved back into the leadoff spot this season, Jessica Camerato of MLB.com reports. "CJ's going to lead off," manager Dave Martinez said. "The [Nos.] 3-4-5 will be kind of different a little bit. The [No.] 2 might be different at times. But we do know CJ's going to lead off for us."
Abrams was moved out of the leadoff spot late in the season last year in favor of prospect Dylan Crews when Crews was promoted, but the team will reverse that decision this year. Abrams struggled so much in the second half (.203/.260/.326 with an 11th percentile chase rate) that his ability to remain in that capacity as a leadoff hitter is in question.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' CJ Abrams: Returns to lineup
Rotowire
Abrams (shoulder) will start at shortstop and bat leadoff Tuesday against the Mets.
Left-shoulder soreness has prevented Abrams from playing in each of Washington's last four games, but he seems to finally be feeling better entering Tuesday's contest. The 23-year-old has been in a bit of a slump at the plate recently, slashing just .176/.194/.382 with two home runs and three RBI since the start of September.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' CJ Abrams: Available off bench Monday
Rotowire
Abrams (shoulder) is available off the bench for Monday's game against the Mets, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
Abrams is missing a fourth straight start due to left shoulder discomfort, but it sounds like his return to the lineup could happen any day now. Nasim Nunez is picking up another start at shortstop in Monday's series opener.
