When the Washington Nationals announced last week that they would be moving CJ Abrams from shortstop to second base for at least the rest of the season, it reportedly did not sit well with the two-time All-Star.
In an exclusive interview with Spencer Nusbaum of The Athletic, Abrams’ agent, Mike Sanders of Roc Nation Sports, revealed that Abrams was “not thrilled” by the decision from the Nationals.
“I think, first, CJ was not thrilled about the decision to move him off shortstop at this time,” Sanders said. “But his priority is to win games for the Nationals and to be a team-first player, so that is what he’s going to do.”
Before Washington announced this decision, Abrams had only played 13 career games at second base. He also hadn’t played the position since 2022 when he was with the San Diego Padres. The 25-year-old’s defense at shortstop, however, has been among the league’s worst this season, prompting the Nationals to make this move.
Sanders told Nusbaum that Abrams still views himself as a full-time shortstop and will use the offseason to work on his defense, as he sees himself as part of the Nationals’ long-term plans.
“He’s always viewed himself as a shortstop short-term and long-term, and would love to have the offseason under this front office to be able to work on that,” Sanders said. “I believe CJ can be a very good shortstop, and without having an offseason to specifically train at the position using the information and feedback this staff has given him, I don’t think we have a full evaluation yet of how good he can truly be there.”
This season in particular has not been a sharp one for Abrams with the glove. He begins play Tuesday having committed 19 errors in 122 games this year and ranks last in several defensive metrics across Major League Baseball.
Nationals president of baseball operations Paul Toboni also shared his thoughts on Abrams moving to second base, adding that the team is trying to remain considerate of their two-time All-Star.
“If I’m CJ, of course I’m upset,” Toboni said. “It’d be weird if he wasn’t. CJ has been a shortstop for his whole life, and it’s a huge part of his baseball identity. If I didn’t sense he was upset, I’d be worried that he wasn’t being real with us.”
Tobini went on to praise Abrams’ willingness to move to second base, saying it was a “difficult conversation” between the two parties.
“This isn’t a place where we just think through what is best for the team, then we do it without considering other factors,” Toboni said. “No, we think about CJ and how this impacts him personally because he’s a huge part of this org. And it’s our job to consider all these factors, decide the best path possible, and do our best to communicate to CJ, Mike and everyone else.”
Despite his rough season with the glove, Abrams has been able to string together a career-year with the bat for the Nationals. Abrams is slashing .278/.354/.529 with a career-high 29 home runs, 91 RBI and a .883 OPS.
With the Nationals slated to begin a three-game series against the Texas Rangers on Tuesday, Abrams is expected to start or at least appear at second base for the first time in four years.
