Nationals' CJ Abrams: Bound for Washington in Soto deal
Rotowire
The Nationals acquired Abrams, first baseman/designated hitter Luke Voit, left-hander MacKenzie Gore (elbow), outfielders James Wood and Robert Hassell and right-hander Jarlin Susana from the Padres on Tuesday in exchange for outfielder Juan Soto and first baseman Josh Bell, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
Abrams recently exhausted his prospect eligibility, but at 22 years old, the lefty-hitting shortstop's developmental timeline fits in well with what could be a lengthy rebuilding effort for the Nationals. Though he's turned in an underwhelming .232/.285/.320 slash line over his 139 plate appearances in the majors with San Diego this season, Abrams' low strikeout rate (19.4 percent) and elite speed bode well for his chances of emerging as an impact big-league player as soon as 2023. He should get the chance to play on an everyday basis at shortstop for the Nationals for the remainder of the 2022 campaign, while Luis Garcia will likely slide over to second or third base to make room for Abrams.
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Nationals' CJ Abrams: Starting Nats career at Triple-A
Rotowire
Abrams was optioned to Triple-A Rochester on Tuesday, Dan Kolko of MASN Sports reports.
While Abrams figures prominently into Washington's long-term plans, he will break into his new organization in the minors. The 21-year-old shortstop hit .314/.364/.507 with seven home runs and 10 steals in 30 games at Triple-A while with San Diego, so he has a chance to hit the ground running with Rochester. If he impresses, he could be up with the big club in the coming weeks.
Abrams (biceps) is starting at second base and hitting ninth Saturday against the Twins.
Ha-Seong Kim will start at shortstop while Jake Cronenworth gets the day off. Abrams, who officially exhausted his prospect status due to days on the active roster, is hitting .300/.313/.433 with one home run, zero steals, five strikeouts and zero walks in 30 at-bats this month. He's expected to serve as a super-utility option for the Padres moving forward, with the role likely to translate to a handful of starts per week.
Abrams (biceps) isn't starting Friday against the Twins.
Abrams is out of the lineup for a fifth consecutive game as he continues to deal with a biceps injury, but it's not yet clear whether he'll ultimately require a trip to the injured list. Ha-Seong Kim is starting at shortstop and batting eighth.
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Padres' CJ Abrams: Still not starting
Rotowire
Abrams (biceps) isn't starting Wednesday against the Tigers.
Abrams hasn't played since the Padres' first game after the All-Star break, and he'll remain sidelined in Wednesday's series finale as he continues to deal with a biceps injury. His next chance to return to the lineup is Friday against the Twins.
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Padres' CJ Abrams: Absence continues
Rotowire
Abrams (biceps) is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Tigers.
Abrams has not taken the field since the first game following the All-Star break, and he will remain out of the starting lineup for at least another day. Chances are he will remain out at least until Friday, as the Padres play an afternoon affair Wednesday and have off the following day.
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Padres' CJ Abrams: Remains out of lineup
Rotowire
Abrams (biceps) isn't starting Monday's game against the Tigers.
Abrams will sit out for a third consecutive game after he was scratched from Saturday's lineup due to right biceps soreness. Ha-Seong Kim is starting at shortstop and batting ninth.
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Padres' CJ Abrams: Sitting again Sunday
Rotowire
Abrams (biceps) is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Mets.
Abrams was scratched from Saturday's lineup with right biceps soreness and will remain on the bench Sunday. The 21-year-old didn't throw during the All-Star break before playing in Friday's game, and the injury remains bothersome.
Abrams was removed from Saturday's lineup against the Mets due to biceps soreness, Dennis Lin of The Athletic reports.
Abrams didn't throw over the All-Star break prior to throwing during Friday's matchup, so he'll be held out Saturday as a precautionary measure. He should be considered day-to-day ahead of Sunday's series finale.
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Padres' CJ Abrams: Scratched from Saturday's lineup
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Abrams was scratched from Saturday's lineup against the Mets for an undisclosed reason, Bob Scanlan of Bally Sports San Diego reports.
All we know is that Ha-Seong Kim replaced Abrams in the lineup at shortstop. Consider Abrams day-to-day for now.
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Padres' CJ Abrams: Crushes three-run blast
Rotowire
Abrams went 2-for-4 with a three-run home run in Monday's 6-5 win over the Rockies.
Abrams' eighth-inning blast gave the Padres just enough offense to get the win. He's started each of the last two games at shortstop with Ha-Seong Kim (thumb) hurt, though Kim was able to appear as a defensive replacement Monday and may not be out much longer. Abrams is 7-for-20 (.350) in July, and he's up to a .234/.281/.333 slash line with two homers, 11 RBI, 15 runs scored and a stolen base through 123 plate appearances overall.
Abrams will start at shortstop and bat ninth in Tuesday's game against the Mariners, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.
The lefty-hitting Abrams returns to the lineup after he sat out each of the past three contests when the Padres opposed a pair of lefties (the Dodgers' Tyler Anderson and Clayton Kershaw) and one righty (the Mariners' Chris Flexen). Though Abrams will be getting the start at shortstop with the righty-hitting Ha-Seong Kim sitting against right-hander Logan Gilbert, Kim's absence from the lineup looks to be more of a maintenance day after he had started in each of the past 17 games. Now that Manny Machado is ready to handle third base on an everyday basis following a recent nine-game absence, Kim looks well positioned to serve as San Diego's primary shortstop against both left- and right-handed pitching. Abrams is slashing an unremarkable .238/.256/.286 during his latest stint with the big club and hasn't made a case for earning a full-time role now that the Padres are closer to full strength in the infield.
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Padres' CJ Abrams: Sits again versus lefty
Rotowire
Abrams is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Dodgers.
The lefty-hitting Abrams will sit for the second game in a row with the Dodgers bringing another lefty (Clayton Kershaw) to the hill. Before the back-to-back absences, Abrams started in 11 consecutive games, slashing .231/.250/.282 over that stretch. However, Manny Machado missed 10 of those contests with an ankle injury, and now that he's being reinstalled as the Padres' everyday third baseman, Abrams will have to battle Ha-Seong Kim for playing time at shortstop. Though Kim bats from the right side of the plate, he may not have to settle for the short side of platoon since he's outperformed Abrams at the dish during their respective time in the big leagues this season.
