(This story was updated to add new information)
The Nationals announced the move Saturday morning before their game against the Chicago Cubs. He technically was optioned to Triple-A Rochester, but with that team’s season ending Sunday, Abrams will spend the rest of the season at the Nationals’ minor league complex at West Palm Beach, Florida.
The all-nighter will cost Abrams about $30,000 in pay. But it won’t affect his status as a first-time arbitration-eligible Super 2 player because he already accumulated 172 days on the major-league roster.
Abrams, the Nationals’ lone All-Star representative and one of the centerpieces of the Juan Soto trade two years ago, has struggled in the second half, hitting just .203 with a .326 slugging percentage.
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Yet, Nationals manager Davey Martinez said the demotion had nothing to do with his play, informing him of the team’s decision Friday after he had gone 4-for-5 with two doubles and two stolen bases on Thursday night.
Abrams went hitless on Friday and was summoned after the game into Martinez’s office, where he was questioned about a social media post on X that he was at the Bally’s Casino in Chicago until 8 a.m..
“I just want it to be known it wasn’t performance-based,’’ Martinez told reporters before Saturday’s game. “It’s an internal issue. I’m not going to get into specifics or talk specifics, because I need to keep everything on the down-low. I’ve got other guys out there I want to support.
“I’m going to support C.J. He’s a big part of our Nats family, and he will be. But without getting into any details, this was the right thing to do.’
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