In a stunning transfer, the Nationals optioned shortstop CJ Abrams to Triple-A Rochester, the Athletic’s Britt Ghiroli stories (by way of X). Infielder Trey Lipscomb is being known as up within the corresponding transfer, as per The Washington Publish’s Andrew Golden (X hyperlink).
Nationals supervisor Davey Martinez informed reporters (together with Golden and MASNsports.com’s Dan Kolko) that Abrams was optioned not for his play on the sphere, however quite “an inner challenge” matter that Martinez didn’t focus on in additional element. Abrams will report to not Rochester for the final two video games of the Triple-A season however will as an alternative go to the Nats’ spring camp in Florida to work out. Martinez confirmed that Abrams wouldn’t seem within the majors once more in 2024, however stays an enormous piece of the group’s current and future.
It was simply over two months in the past that Abrams was representing the Nationals within the All-Star Sport, because the 23-year-old was named to the NL squad as a reward for his excellent first half. Abrams hit .268/.343/.489 with 15 residence runs in 398 plate appearances previous to the All-Star break, and regarded all of the world like a breakout participant in his age-23 season. Because the sixth general decide of the 2019 draft and the centerpiece of the commerce bundle Washington obtained from the Padres within the Juan Soto commerce, Abrams has lengthy been seen as a future star, and the early returns of his 2024 season regarded like an enormous step ahead from his respectable efficiency in 2023, his first full MLB marketing campaign.
For the reason that Midsummer Basic, nonetheless, Abrams’ manufacturing has tailed off. The shortstop has hit solely .203/.260/.326 in 204 PA in the course of the second half, and gone yard solely 5 instances. Abrams’ strikeout charge has risen from 20.1% within the first half to 23.53% within the second half, and his line drive charge plummeted from 23.6% to 7.8%. This decline in onerous contact signifies that Abrams’ .243 BABIP because the All-Star break is extra than simply dangerous batted-ball luck, and his .307 BABIP within the first half wasn’t too far above league common anyhow.
This prolonged droop however, it’s clear that Abrams wouldn’t have been despatched down if it wasn’t for this off-the-field challenge. Regardless of the circumstances, the membership deemed the scenario critical sufficient to ship this public message to Abrams as one thing of a wake-up name or a punishment. There’s certain to be some hypothesis that the Nats would possibly now look to commerce Abrams, but Martinez’s feedback about Abrams’ significance to Washington’s future appeared designed to finish such hypothesis earlier than it even bought off the bottom. Going ahead, Martinez feels Abrams “will probably be higher” within the aftermath of the choice.
Lacking the final 9 days of the 2024 season shouldn’t have any influence on Abrams’ Tremendous Two eligibility. As a reminder, “Tremendous Two” gamers have lower than three years of MLB service time, however sit within the prime 22 p.c of service time of all gamers between two and three years, and as such are awarded an additional yr of arbitration eligibility. Abrams entered the 2024 marketing campaign with one yr and 130 days of service time, and thus a full season on Washington’s lively roster would’ve put him on the 2.130 mark — nearly absolutely qualifying him for Tremendous Two standing based mostly on the cutoff factors over the past 15 years.
Nonetheless, a participant solely must be on an lively roster or the Main League injured listing for 172 days of the 187-day season to qualify as having obtained one full yr of official service time. As such, since Abrams has already been with the Nationals past the 172-day threshold, he has achieved one full yr of service time for 2024 and stays on monitor to be a Tremendous Two participant.
