The Washington Nationals are shaking up their infield.
Ahead of Friday's series opener against the New York Mets, manager Blake Butera announced that CJ Abrams will gradually move from shortstop to second base. He added that Abrams will still play shortstop on occasion, but Nasim Nuñez will be the regular shortstop going forward.
This is a notable move, as Abrams has played only 13 games at second base in his career and hasn't played the position since 2022 with the San Diego Padres. He has racked up 5,297 career innings at shortstop. The 25-year-old, though, has been one of the league's worst defenders at shortstop this season, committing 19 errors across 113 games.
The advanced metrics surrounding Abrams are also not pretty. He currently has minus 17 outs above average, which is on track to be the worst of his career. Since making his major league debut in 2022, the Outs Above Average metric has given Abrams a woeful minus 63 grade in his career. This is the worst mark in the majors from the span of 2022-2026 regardless of any position.
Despite his poor defense, Abrams is still one of the best hitters at his position. Across 119 games this season, the two-time All-Star is slashing .284/.357/.541 with a career-high 29 home runs, 91 RBI, a .898 OPS and 23 stolen bases.
Abrams moving to second base now opens the door for the aforementioned Nuñez to become the full-time starter at shortstop for at least the rest of the season. Unlike Abrams, Nuñez is better known for his glove and has committed only 18 career errors since making his major league debut during the 2024 campaign.
The 25-year-old has appeared in 16 games at shortstop this season for Washington, compared to 100 games at second base.
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